Christmas for the Elves
by LadyAquanine73551
Summary: The North Pole had no idea what they were in for when Melena, an elf/human from a 16th century village, arrived on the scene. Now the young elf must find her place in elf society as well as deal with a certain grouchy Head Elf named Bernard.
1. An Elf Among Mortals

**I've always been a big fan of Christmas :) It's my favorite holiday, and it was this very holiday that inspired me to write this story. That and the first two "Santa Clause" films. It was originally a novel, but I knew I'd never be able to write it w/out copyright issues coming up. But since this is , why not? **

**Before anybody starts, I just want to say that this story is **_**not **_**precisely a fanfic about "The Santa Clause" or "The Santa Clause II," but it closely relates to both of them in many ways. **

**Also, I want to say that I do not own the Santa Clause films. Any elements, similar characters, and places belong to Walt Disney Studios and the people who worked hard to make those films. **

**That's all, enjoy the story…**

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A cool breeze wafted down from the Pyrenees Mountains one autumn afternoon. It wove its way into the little renaissance village of Prades and brushed past Melena's russet skirts. She breathed in the spicily scented air and happily strode down the cobblestone street to the market. The village was alive with activity, for today was the day of the Fall Festival, the most important day of the autumn season.

Awnings over shops and carts were decked in fall colors and garlands of paper leaves. Melena could see wicker cornucopias spilling out bountiful displays of wax food, pumpkins sitting by sculpted cornstalks, and colorful streamers dancing in the wind from the various street lamps. The nearby forest and hills seemed to blaze as if on fire from all the red, orange, brown, and golden leaves on the trees. Melena enjoyed shopping on days like this. Normally she would have been tending the horses at the courier's stable, but no one was sending messages today. And there was always more to find on festival days than a regular day at the market. Horse-drawn carts rattled by, dogs and children ran through the streets, and vendors yelled out their wares.

Melena merely looked at several of the carts. She didn't have much to barter with and was saving the coins she earned from caring for the villager's horses for something special. She _did _buy a few parcels of food to add to the batch she and Brigitte were taking to the bonfire. It was going to be a big one this year. More people had come to Prades than last year, and the harvest was plentiful.

As the young lady walked to the scarf vendor, she noticed several of her neighbors and customers staring with the usual curiosity. _Of course they stare_, she told herself, buying a few scarves in bright fall colors, _it's because they have nothing better to do_. She shrugged the stares off and headed home.

Melena lived in a house just outside of the main village. Her father had never liked the cramped living quarters or bustling town life in Prades. He and her mother had enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the nearby woods and the lack of nosy neighbors.

The house was especially warm that afternoon as Melena came in. Brigitte was bustling away in the kitchen, the oven fires at full blaze as she baked away. She sung a folk song to herself as she worked. Despite the warmth, Melena's home had once been more alive and jovial than this. Up until seven years ago, three people had lived there. Then there had been only one inhabitant for a short time. Now there were two. Melena picked up a set of three wooden angels her father had carved to represent her family. They were simple in design, with two adult angels holding hands with a child angel and standing in a circle. A tear came to the girl's eye when she thought of her parents. So strong they had been, and in one night they had been snatched from her.

Melena put down the sculpture and went up to her room, opening the only glass windows in the house. This room had once belonged to her parents. But after Brigitte moved in, she insisted that the room belonged to Melena now, and the girl gave up objecting after a short time. She hoisted a small wooden trunk up onto the window seat and lifted the lid, revealing an abundance of linen and silken scarves in just about every color and pattern.

Melena knew why many people in the village stared at her. They had been doing it since before she could remember, and they all knew she had a reason for wearing scarves, hats, and hoods on her head, but none had ever learned her family's secret. Melena went over to the large wooden trunk at the foot of her bed. Her father had carved this as well. He was a wizard at creating art out of wood. She remembered his strong hands and kind, handsome face. She remembered her mother's lovely face as well when she looked at the bracelet on her right wrist.

It was silver, with an aquamarine jewel hanging from it. Her mother had given it to her when she was little, saying it was a family heirloom. Everyone said Melena looked like her mother: the same face, the crystal blue eyes, the long, thick, curly blond hair, exactly like her. Melena even had her mother's small stature, which was unexpected since her father was so much taller. The girl was barely more than five feet in height, causing a lot of the men in the village to dwarf her. But there was one other thing Melena and her mother shared, something which no one outside their home ever learned.

Melena pulled out her festive fall season dress and went over to the tall, ornate mirror. It was the only one in the house, and her father had always said that they were very lucky to have it. It used to hang in the sitting room, but ever since Brigitte had moved in, the glass piece had somehow made its way up into Melena's room, and not by her own doing. The blond stared at herself, seeing the blue scarf lying across her forehead like the bandanna of a warrior. She reached up and untied it, carefully taking it off. Underneath the scarf revealed two pointy ears. Melena tucked her hair behind the ears and stared at them. No one in the village had known, and they probably never would.

Melena's mother had been an elf, a beautiful one at that. There were very few elves in the world, and even fewer that married humans. And yet, her mother had fallen for her charming father and decided to settle down in this village. Unfortunately, since the people of Prades were somewhat superstitious and wary of magical creatures, the girl's mother had been forced to hide her ears under scarves and hats as well. When Melena was born, her parents had been surprised that she possessed her mother's ears, though her arrival was not unexpected.

So, ever since she could be taken out of the house, Melena had been forced to hide her ears from the world. She wasn't even a full elf. Her mother had told her that part-elves were different from full-blooded elves, but she had never said why. Melena could never figure it out. She didn't even know what made pure elves different from humans, besides the ears.

People in the village had all sorts of stories explaining elves. Legends abounded of little people with large, pointy ears, living in the forest and frolicking with fairies to hide away gold. Some stories also told of elves dancing during certain heathen holidays, celebrating magical parts of the year, such as the onset of Spring. When Melena regaled her parents of such stories, her mother would laugh her laugh of tinkling bells and take Melena into her arms, telling her not to pay attention to such hogwash. Her father agreed as well, and he claimed that elves neither came in that form, nor did they do such silly things.

"Elves are people like you or me," he would tell Melena, before going off to create some other kind of wood carving. Melena agreed as well, even to this day. She missed her parents so.

It was an unusual winter night, when a freak snowstorm had blown in from the mountains. Her father had gone out to help one of the farmers get his goats in from the nearest mountainside. When the two of them did not return, Melena's mother went to help, getting caught in the avalanche that claimed the lives of her husband and the farmer only minutes before. It had been a terrible night for Melena, and she still felt anxious whenever she came near the mountains in winter.

As Melena pulled on her dress, she wiped away the stray tears that had come. The pain was not as bad as it had been seven years ago. Now, the memory of her parents had simply become a dull ache inside, a reminder of her orphan status. As she finished dressing, Melena took one last glance at her pointed ears in the mirror before putting on one of her new scarves, hiding them once more.

By the time she came downstairs, the sun was starting to go down and Brigitte had finished baking. Melena smiled at the sight of her one and only friend in all of Prades. Brigitte was a plump little old woman that had a smile as sweet as her personality. She had a sort of aged beauty that simply couldn't be erased by wrinkles and time. Brigitte was also one of the few elders in the village that still had all her teeth, hair, and strength. Despite her age, there was a child-like quality about her as well.

"Why hello Melena," she greeted warmly as she placed the various loaves of bread into baskets, "I didn't hear you come in, _cheri_."

"Sorry Brigitte, I should have helped you finish these," the blond said apologetically as she helped load the meat pies and tortes into the baskets.

"Oh _pish-tosh!_ You deserved some time out of the house," Brigitte said as she unwrapped some of the parcels Melena had bought, "you have been working day and night for the past few weeks with those horses. I've seen you with circles under your eyes in the morning. You need to rest once in a while _ma petite_." Melena managed a small smile as she wrapped some of the stickier tarts in wax paper. Brigitte noticed the girl's demeanor immediately.

"Why what's the matter, child? Are you all right?" It was a few moments before Melena spoke.

"I was just thinking about…_maman_ and _papa_." The old woman looked up from the baskets and saw the sad look on the girl's face. She immediately dropped what she was doing and wrapped Melena in a hug.

"I'm sorry Melena. I know how this time of year reminds you of them. I just wish things had been better for you." Melena sniffed a bit, grateful that Brigitte was there.

Soon after her parents had died, Brigitte took it upon herself to act as Melena's guardian, since it was unseemly and unsafe for a ten-year-old girl to be living by herself. Melena didn't object, since Brigitte was an old friend of the family. She was the grandmother Melena never had. She had acted as midwife for Melena's mother when she was born, and she was the only person in the village who knew that the girl and her mother were elves. The blond elf was grateful to have Brigitte in her home. The woman was so warm and comforting, and it was almost like having a family again.

"Come into the kitchen, _ma petite bijou_. I still have some tea on the kettle." Brigitte beckoned, leading the girl into the still-warm room.

"This should keep us warm out there," the old lady said as she poured some of the hot liquid into two clay cups.

"I'm glad you're coming," Melena said, starting to smile again as she drank her tea.

"I can't imagine who wouldn't," Brigitte said as she joined the girl at the table, "I always get excited at this time of year."

"I know why too," Melena said mischievously, "Christmas is coming." Brigitte pretended to gasp in surprise.

"Now how did you guess that?" she teased.

"Oh, I don't know," Melena said, an impish smile on her face.

One of the reasons Brigitte had been allowed in on Melena's family secret was she believed in elves, real ones. When she found out that the girl's mother was an elf, she had regaled the family countless times of her experience with elves in the far north. It was this memory that sparked Melena's interest at that moment.

"Brigitte, can you tell me your story again? About when you met _le Père Noël_?" Unlike earlier, the older woman was genuinely surprised at this.

"Isn't it a bit early in the season for you to be asking me that? It _is _still autumn, after all."

"I just feel like hearing it before we go to the bonfire. Can you indulge me in that one favor, please?" Melena asked, though even she was unsure as to why she requested it. It seemed that Brigitte never tired of telling the story, and unlike many people, she never changed it to make it sound better or more fantastic than it truly was.

Brigitte checked the position of the sun out the window before making up her mind.

"All right, we have time," she agreed, winking at the young lady. Melena smiled shyly at this before sipping her tea. With that, Brigitte began her tale.

"When I was a little girl, no more than six, something extraordinary happened. On the eve of Christmastide, all had gone to sleep in my home. But I woke late that night to the sound of something on the roof. The rest of the family slept soundly, but I could not.

"I went out into the main room and found Father Christmas himself leaving gifts under our tree. It was of great surprise for me to see him at all, for _maman_ and _papa_ had always told me he was invisible. But there he was, in a red suit and white fur, placing parcels as was expected. When he saw me, he smiled and greeted me by name, as if he'd known me my entire life. I was delighted to see that he was as real the trees and the earth beneath my feet. I couldn't resist embracing him like a beloved grandfather, and he kindly accepted it. Dutiful child as I was, I whispered that I would tell no one I saw him and headed straight back to bed. But then _le Père Noël_ did something I did not expect.

"He offered to take me to the Far North, to visit his homeland. I was so happy I nearly woke the house with my delight, and eagerly accepted. Father Christmas promised that I would be home by morning. He then took me into his sleigh with him, and I was amazed when it flew into the air, just like the stories said. The wind was very cold, so Father Christmas wrapped me in a blanket. It was truly extraordinary seeing the world up there. Everything looks so different from up in the sky, and the reindeer pulling the sled really did fly without wings. I eventually fell asleep during our journey up into the clouds.

"When I woke, we were in a beautiful, colorful world of snow. There were elves and snow everywhere. They were like children, but they had ears that were pointed, just like yours, and they were wise beyond their years. They sang and danced everywhere I went, and were already working hard on next year's gifts. It was so overwhelming and delightful at the same time. I do not think my eyes could get any wider at everything I saw there.

"Father Christmas led me around, showing me many things in the North Pole, including reindeer and the place he lived. It was very beautiful. Glitter and colors everywhere. After a while I grew quite tired. Father Christmas took me to the guest quarters in his home and put me to bed. As he tucked me in, I thanked him for the gift of seeing his world. He enjoyed sharing it with me, and gave me a special ring as his token of affection for me. When I awoke the next morning, I was home and had a wonderful tale to tell mama and papa. They, of course, enjoyed what I had to tell, though they never really did believe me. Not even when I showed them this ring."

At that she showed Melena a ring that the girl had seen many times. It was a simple gold band with holly leaves etched into it. It was lovely in its simplicity, and though Brigitte's hands were the same size as Melena's, the blond could never try the ring on for some strange reason. It always seemed too small for any of her fingers, even her pinkie. Also, Brigitte had told her in the past that it seemed no matter how much her hands had grown over time, the ring always fit her. There was magic in it, no mistaking that.

Despite what others had thought, Melena believed every word of the tale. Somehow, all the unusual presents she saw under her own tree every year, the way Brigitte described things; she simply couldn't see how her friend could have made any of it up.

"Thank you," Melena said when her friend finished, "I never tire of that story."

"Pray that you never do _ma petite bijou_," Brigitte teased, finishing her tea.

"Are you ready?" she asked, getting up and putting the tea things away.

"For the bonfire?" Melena asked back, helping with the cups in the copper sink.

"Of course! You didn't think I'd forget, do you?" Brigitte laughed. With that, she headed for the main room and gathered up half the baskets they had packed. Melena joined her.

As the two women headed out towards the far side of Prades, Brigitte couldn't help but say to Melena,

"How unusual for you to request the Christmastide story so early before winter. I was thinking about it while cooking today."

"Really?" the blond asked, intrigued.

"Normally you ask to hear it when the first cold winds come off the mountains. Is there something you wish to talk about?" Melena shrugged.

"Not really. Though we should have quite a bit to talk about after this bonfire." Brigitte laughed at this.

"Yes, with the bountiful harvest and extra guests this year, this will be a night to remember."

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**Yep, we've met our heroine, though I won't reveal too much for now. I know there was more back-story than dialog but what was written here is important for later in the fanfic. I did some re-editing recently to make Melena & Brigitte's dialogue sound more French, so that's where all the French terms came from. I tried doing research as best as I could, since I never took French while in high school, but hopefully they translate to what I intended. It's pretty obvious what _maman _and _papa_ mean. _L_**_**e Père Noël **_**means "Santa Clause," :) _ma cheri _means "my love," often a term French parents use for their little ones ^^, and _ma petite_ I believe means "little one," and _ma petit bijou_ means "my little jewel." **

**I promise there will be more action in the next few chapters. You'll also see how this relates to the "Santa Clause" stories soon.  
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**By the way, in regards to the "Santa Clause" films, I specifically mentioned the first two, because I am a huge **_**non**_**-**_**fan **_**of the 3****rd**** one. Believe me, it's totally **_**not **_**worth watching compared to the first two. **

**For those of you who saw "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," and not the others, I strongly urge you to see the first two. They're much better. For those of you who have seen all three, forget the 3****rd**** one existed. **

**For those of you who liked the third one, I apologize for my forwardness, but after reading up on it, I really missed Bernard—oops! I said too much, lol. **

**Ok, enough of my rambling. Read on everyone!**


	2. The Fall Festival

** This chapter was partially inspired by a musical piece I sung with my church choir back in 2000 as the opening of our Christmas Concert. It's called "Emanuel's Light." This chapter also takes me back to the days when my youth group did bonfires and games in the fall :)

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And what a celebration it was. The bonfire was enormous. Its light could be seen all over the meadow, and the flame was bound to last all night. Melena and Brigitte deposited their goods on one of many long tables where refreshments were set up. Pumpkins and other harvest decorations from the market had been brought in to liven up the mood, and the fall leaves carpeting the ground added a nice touch.

Great barrels of barma and other drinks had been rolled in from the breweries, torches were set up everywhere, and a group of musicians were playing fiddles, drums, and a number of other instruments to a cheery, noisy, dance-inducing tune. Girls with garlands and crowns of paper fall leaves were handing out their works of art to various people. Children danced in circles, and boys were running about, kissing every girl they could get their hands on. Melena got kissed several times, smiling, laughing, and playfully pushing the boys away. She joined in on the celebrations with all the other young people.

Older people of the village would sometimes just sit and watch, laughing, eating, drinking, and telling stories to friends and neighbors. The more lively ones would join in on the dancing and celebrating. Some of the women would carry about trays of drinks for anyone who wanted some. Men would show off dance moves learned from many other bonfires, and the fire-obsessed boys would throw various things into the blaze, such as straw, oil, seeds, and rubbish from the celebration. They would jump back and stare in awe as the already large flames flared up.

Eventually, the dances that involved everyone began, and none had more fun than Melena. She linked hands with other girls and they formed a ring, dancing around the fire with perfect unity. Someone began a harvest song everyone in Prades knew, and every guest joined in on the singing. Melena joined in as well, and she could feel everyone's voice, including hers, rising up above the trees with more musical power than even the instruments in the band could put out. It was a magnificent and awe-inspiring thing to hear.

As Melena danced, she could hear snatches of comments from everyone she passed. Everyone in Prades complemented Melena on not only her dancing skills, but her singing ability as well. She was thought to be the best of those two areas in the whole village, save for her skills with horses. But her dancing and singing weren't the only things that were being considered attractive that night. It was also her beauty. Every young man at the celebration had his eye on her.

It wasn't until Melena sat down, that one particular young man named Simon came up to her. Melena frequently saw him with his blacksmith father whenever the courier horses in town needed their shoes tended to.

"You looked wonderful out there," he said, sounding very awkward.

"Why thank you Simon," Melena replied, pulling her shoes off. Her feet were somewhat worn out after dancing.

"I have something for you," he said, kneeling down and handing her a package.

"Um, thank you," Melena said, taking the small basket, "I wasn't expecting a gift from you."

"It's not a gift, in a manner of speaking," the man said, "it's actually a proposition."

"Pardon me?" Melena asked, caught off-guard.

"Open it," Simon prompted. Melena took out the colored paper in the basket and saw a wreath made of ferns, still green despite the season. Melena's eyes opened wide. A fern wreath only meant one thing in Prades: a marriage proposal.

Melena knew she was of marrying age, but she hadn't planned on anything coming so soon, especially not from Simon. She liked him, but she had never considered actually joining him in wedlock. It seemed all so sudden.

Simon took her look as one of shock and said quietly,

"Don't worry; I don't need an answer right now. Just enjoy the celebrations and think it over, all right?" Melena nodded, staring into space. Simon then went off to talk to some of the older village men, including his father and grandfather. Melena just sat there, staring at the fern wreath, wondering what she would say. Simon was learning his father's craft, and she knew what blacksmith's wives had to deal with; not seeing their husbands a lot, and having to act as secretaries when orders for farming tools were to be made. Melena was feeling very unsure about herself that moment.

It was then that several more young men came up to Melena, each carrying a package similar to Simon's.

"Who are all of you?" she asked, putting down the fern wreath. An older man, probably the father of one of the boys, came forward.

"My sons have each come to offer something to you." The four baskets were laid before Melena's feet.

"What have they come to ask me about?" Melena asked, having a feeling she knew the answer.

"Your hand in marriage."

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**Well, this was a very short chapter, but still important as part of the story. Keep reading, you'll see where "The Santa Clause" part comes in ;)**


	3. Firedancer

**This was one of the very first chapters I wrote in this story, back when I was writing it as a novel. I'll confess now that one of my favorite aspects of Christmas is the reindeer, but then again, there are a lot of things I favor from this holiday ;)

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A few more men came up to Melena during the latter hours of the Fall Celebration. By the time it was over, she had at least seven different fern wreaths, all begging her to accept their owners. Brigitte helped Melena carry them home, the two of them staring at each one, wondering what the younger of the two was going to do. Brigitte was very surprised, telling Melena that she was very lucky, but she must choose wisely and carefully, for divorce was not something that was legal in this land.

Melena and her elder friend left the fern wreaths in the sitting room. Brigitte assured the girl that there was no need to worry for now, that the topic of the proposals could be left until morning. And with that she was off to bed.

But Melena was far from exhausted, despite all the dancing she had done at the bonfire. She changed into simpler clothing and then pulled a cloak on, for a nip had come into the air. It was past twilight, and every star known to man was up in the sky, encouraging the girl to venture outdoors into the dark.

There was a large rock that stood out in the far yard. No one knew where it had come from, nor what had caused it to be there, but Melena used it as a place to be alone. She would often sit on the boulder and stare up into the sky or into the woods, thinking and wondering about what was currently on her mind.

Tonight was one of those nights, and Melena was out on the rock, thinking about what had happened. It was so much to take in, all those marriage proposals. The thought of getting married right now made her shiver.

Melena wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. The climate may have been mild in the late fall and winter, but it still got cold. It only snowed once in a while, when the wind blew a storm over the village from the mountains. Melena shivered at the thought of snow, for it was snow that had been responsible for killing her parents.

She banished the horrible thought of her parents' death from her head, for the night was beautiful, and the stars were out. There was one star in particular, a bright white one that shone in the north. Melena looked that way, remembering many nights when she'd gone out star-watching, feeling the unknown longing that seemed to draw her there. There was something about that direction that begged her to come. She knew not what it was, but she now felt it like a familiar friend, tugging at her skirts to follow them.

But Melena found it was only the wind, blowing at her petticoat. She let out a sigh and remembered all the proposals she'd gotten from the young men in the village. It was probably the most unexpected thing to happen to her during a Fall Festival. Melena adjusted herself on the rock, wondering if life in the village was the only way to live. True, she liked at least half of the men that had offered their hand in marriage, but something about it seemed incomplete.

_Is this all I have to live for?_ She asked silently, tilting her head to the heavens. Her hood fell back and her golden hair spilled out. The northern bright star seemed to twinkle more brightly, failing to truly answer the girl's question, despite the hope the tiny celestial light was supposed to bring. Melena was not quite ready to be married. She felt that she still had a life to live before settling down to motherly duties. True, Brigitte had said that she would make a good wife and mother to someone someday, but today was not that day.

It was also true that the village was a pleasant place to live, but it was so provincial, no adventure to speak of. Life just seemed too easy for Melena, and she longed to find a real challenge, some adventure that involved thrills and challenges. It was all just too dull around here.

"I wish I could have a life that's better than this one," she murmured to the stars. Her heart felt the longing like a pull, and she felt a sense of elation, almost like a cool breeze. Melena fingered the aquamarine jewel on her bracelet, and it was then that she realized that she _was_ feeling a cool breeze. A sweet smell wafted on this gentle wind, and she breathed it in deeply.

It wasn't until Melena realized a small shower of snow was falling in the yard, did she sense something unusual going on. The snow fell in beautiful flakes, glistening like a cloud of silver and white. Melena stood up in surprise, wondering at the strange weather, for she hadn't sensed snow on the wind. She then turned, looking up at the sky to see where the snow was coming from. The girl gasped when her eyes fell on the nearby trees.

There stood the most magnificent deer she had ever seen. It wasn't like the thin, small deer that darted in and out of the forests near the mountains. This thing was something the goddess Diana would have at her side. It was a big, beautiful buck, the size of a large horse. It had a magnificent array of antlers, and deep, dark eyes. Melena found the white hide odd, for she had never seen a white deer before, nor had she seen one with long, muscular legs or wide hooves. The creature also had a look of intelligence in its eyes.

Melena could not resist the curiosity to come near the beast, careful so as not to startle it. Strangely enough, the deer didn't shy away or streak into the woods like most of his kind. In fact, this creature seemed almost a different breed from the regular stock. Melena then noticed the fancy harness. She came closer to see that it was decorated in an intricate manner. It was red, green, and gold, reminding her of Christmastide. She saw a fiery orange jewel decorating the breastplate of the harness, seemingly resting on the animal's heart. The gem glittered fiercely in the moonlight.

The white deer nuzzled Melena's shoulder like a sweet-tempered horse.

"Hey there, boy," she said in a soft, quiet whisper she used on most horses, "where did you come from?" As she stroked the deer's hide gently, feeling its soft, thick, smooth fur, the creature nudged its head in the direction of the north. Melena furrowed her brow.

"Can you understand me?" she asked. The deer nodded its head. The girl's eyes widened.

"My goodness," she said to herself. Remembering the harness, Melena wondered something.

"Are you a reindeer?" she asked. The deer nodded again. Amazed, Melena asked the reindeer more questions.

"One of Father Christmas's?" she asked. The deer nodded, and then shook its head.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she inquired. As if in an answer to her question, the reindeer suddenly kneeled down on its front legs. The thought of riding the deer had crossed the girl's mind, but she had not expected the reindeer to actually _invite _her to do so. She hesitated, glancing at his expression. He seemed innocent enough, with a warm look in his huge eyes.

After a moment, Melena strode over and got on the reindeer's strong back.

"Just through the woods, mind you," she said as the buck got up on all fours. The beast turned towards the northwest and took off. It was very much like riding a horse, and a spirited horse at that. Melena took in the thrill of riding, her hair and cape flying out behind her like wings. The houses, fields, orchards, vineyards, and trees all whizzed by them, and Melena noticed that the reindeer seemed to be speeding up as he got past the outer boundaries of the village.

It wasn't until they passed over a stream, that Melena realized the reindeer wasn't touching the ground anymore. His hooves didn't splash in the water like any other cloven beast would have done, and the usual bounce Melena felt when riding was gone. Her eyes widened as the ground got farther and farther away. The white reindeer continued to gallop, despite the fact that his feet weren't touching the ground anymore.

"What're you doing?" Melena cried as they rose up over the hills. The wind whipped past her in cold, screaming gusts. When she heard no answer, the girl cursed herself for asking such a question to a speechless animal.

"Flying, what else?" a voice suddenly said. Melena gasped, her eyes shooting glances around.

"Who said that?" she asked.

"I did," the reindeer said, turning his head towards her. Melena's eyes widened.

"You? How can you talk? You're just a reindeer."

"_Just_ a reindeer? _Puh_-lease." The creature scoffed. "I'm a White Reindeer, for your information, and I'm a retrieving one at that." Melena couldn't make much sense of this, for she'd never met a talking reindeer before.

"Whoever you are, I wish to be taken home. I do not appreciate being taken from my village in the middle of the night. Brigitte will worry about me!"

The reindeer snorted.

"No can do. It's not my job to take you back." Melena was not sure if she had a choice, but, judging by the reindeer's attitude, she had a pretty good feeling that wherever she was going would be far away, too far away for her to return to the village. And seeing as she was up in the air, it would be impossible to jump off the reindeer now. She didn't like the idea, but then again, she did ask for a new life. Perhaps this strange white reindeer was granting her request.

Melena watched from her perch to see them passing over river valleys, hills, mountains, and open plains. The night was clear and cold so high up. For all she knew, they were flying over the whole world, as she knew it.

"Where are we?" she asked in a mild panic, "Are we on the other side of the world?"

"Chill out, will ya?" the reindeer told her, "We haven't even left France yet."

France? This was the rest of France?

_Goodness!_ Melena thought, _France is bigger than I thought._ She could see the sparkling lights of towns and cities as they passed overhead. It all seemed like a dream, so far away and unreal.

"Where are you taking me?" Melena asked.

"To the North Pole," the reindeer answered. Melena's mouth dropped open. If there had ever been a time to be even more surprised, it was now.

"The North Pole?" she repeated dubiously. "Yes, the North Pole," the reindeer answered.

"You mean…the place where Father Christmas lives?" Melena said in wonder.

"Yeah," the cloven white beast answered. The land suddenly rushed away underneath them, almost like the leaving of a tide, and there was ocean beneath.

"Hey, remember that question you asked me earlier, if I was one of Santa's reindeer?" the reindeer asked. Melena nodded. "I meant to say that, yes; I work for Santa, no, I don't pull his sleigh on Christmas. That's the Lucky Eight's job."

"Lucky Eight?" Melena asked. The reindeer shook his head.

"Never mind. I'm just supposed to take you to the North Pole to join the Elite of Elves. It's my job."

Melena furrowed her brow again.

"The Elite of Elves?" she inquired.

"Good lord, the half-elf knows nothing," the reindeer murmured in frustration.

"What?" Melena asked, annoyance beginning to form in her mind. She didn't like the term half-elf, and she was soon to find that it was a word that would hurt.

"But you have taken me from my family," Melena pointed out, "How could you do that? Please take me back, I beg of you." The white reindeer let out a very unhappy sigh.

"Look," he said the guilt evident in his voice, "I've flown all day to come and get you, and now I've got to spend the whole night bringing you back. I'm sorry; cut me some slack, will ya? I'm sacrificing my sleeping time for your sake."

Melena hadn't realized what the reindeer had been through to make this trip possible. It was all very confusing; a strange deer turning up and taking her away from her only home to join elves in the North Pole was just plain mind-boggling. Was it because of her ears? No, that couldn't just be the case. It had to be more than that.

The two of them didn't say much as they passed over Ireland. Melena stared in awe at the sight of the Emerald Isle. It shone a lovely bright green, even in the dark. They were soon flying over the ocean again, and the air got colder. Melena huddled as closely the reindeer's warm hide as she could. The creature's back had grown warm in the time she'd been sitting on it.

As they passed over a freezing island called Iceland, the deer finally turned his head and said,

"By the way, my name's Firedancer."

* * *

**So, it appears Melena's gone from the proposal conundrum to being spirited away by a reindeer. But what kind of North Pole is this Firedancer taking her to? And what will she find when they get there? **

**I also wanted to make a point about the reindeer in this fanfic. They didn't technically talk in the "Santa Clause" films, though Comet was known to speak some funny gibberish that Scott could understand in the 2****nd**** film. This story is something of a **_**variant**_** on the "Santa Clause" movies, as well as including elements of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the 1964 claymation everybody loves :) **


	4. The Elf Community

**Now, it's time for Melena to see others of her own kind, for the very first time.

* * *

**

"Firedancer?" Melena repeated, "That's a strange name."

"They call me that because I can _ride the fires of the aurora!_" As the reindeer spoke, he sped up, making the wind scream past him and his rider.

"Hang on!" he yelled to her as they rocketed through the icy night sky.

Melena wrapped her arms around Firedancer's neck and clung to his harness for dear life. She screamed with fright as the whole world blurred around them, only showing vague details that she could barely make out. A bright blazing rainbow of light exploded from underneath Firedancer's hooves, lighting up the night sky in a multitude of colors.

Greenland sped up under them like a snowy white tide, and the air got so cold, Melena's teeth hurt and her hands were frozen, save for her palms, which were warmed by Firedancer's fur. She ended up burying her face in the reindeer's shaggy hide for the next half hour, wishing it would all be over.

"Look Melena! We're almost there!" Firedancer cried. Melena looked up and found snow caked in her hair and on her hands. Her reindeer friend was also covered in snow, and it blew past them in bucket's worth. The blond looked around, but saw nothing more than vast fields of snow, stretching for miles. The sky was completely black, probably filled with clouds to block out the stars. Melena's heart filled with fear, for it was weather like this that had snatched her family away from her. And yet, the presence of Firedancer dampened that fear. Melena couldn't tell why, but it did.

"I don't see anything!" the blond elf yelled over the wind.

"Trust me, it's there!" the reindeer yelled back. Melena scanned the area, but saw nothing more than a faint glimmer of pale gray light in the east, signaling dawn. And that was when she saw it.

Something twinkled down below, something that looked like a beacon.

"What is that?" Melena asked.

"It's the North Pole," Firedancer replied.

"What?" Melena said in surprise. She hadn't expected the North Pole to be a _thing_, per se, but rather an area of land at the top of the world.

"You'll see," the white reindeer said, "and can you loosen your grip? You're choking me."

"Oh! Sorry." Melena apologized. She managed to pull her hands apart, which had seemed to thaw all of a sudden, and peeled her arms off of Firedancer's neck.

The reindeer then began to descend, heading straight towards the flashing beacon. Thankfully, the snow tapered off and Melena could just make out a small, red and white striped pole sticking up from the ground with a round crystal orb on top of it. Compulsively, Melena fingered her bracelet, somehow feeling familiar about the whole thing, even though she had never been outside of Prades.

Then, the ground near the pole began moving. Melena stared wide-eyed as a large, round portal opened, letting the snow around it to fall into the hole. She couldn't help but notice the reindeer was heading straight for it.

"Are we going in?" she asked Firedancer.

"We're goin' in," the cloven beast said determinedly. Melena gripped the deer's harness tightly as they descended down into the portal.

She was greeted with bright daylight, which made a big difference compared to outside. Melena looked down below and stared in awe. Nearly a thousand feet below, lay a vast, snowy landscape; different from the outside because this one was alive with activity. The blond elf could see pine and fir trees everywhere, dotting the landscape. Deer ran about like small black dots, playing in the large open grounds. Melena could see a small wooden structure on one side, but near the middle and other side of this humongous place, what she saw made her suck in her breath.

Below lay a large and colorful town that sparkled. She could barely take it all in, nor could she believe what she was seeing. The place had dozens upon dozens of people running around with activities, and it wasn't until Firedancer gracefully landed in one of the streets, did Melena realize what she was looking at.

"So this is where St. Nicholas lives," the blond elf said, looking around. She noticed much of the snow she and Firedancer had acquired seemed to have disappeared, and she felt warmer here. It was like a mild day during winter in Prades, except there was snow on the ground.

"Welcome to the Elf Community, our final destination in the North Pole," Firedancer suddenly announced like a flight attendant, "keep your tray tables in their upright and locked positions and your seat-belts buckled 'till the vehicle has come to a complete stop. Thank you for flying Reindeer Express." Melena stared at the buck with a funny look on her face. She had never before heard such an announcement and had no clue what it meant.

"What was that all about?" she asked curiously. Firedancer turned and grinned over his shoulder.

"Just a little joke I like telling all my riders." He explained before clomping down the street.

"Well I don't understand it and I'd like to know what it means," Melena said somewhat pointedly.

"I think it'll be a while before you understand something like that," the reindeer said. He said nothing more for the next few minutes.

Melena looked around, observing the natives of the Community.

"They're all children," she observed.

"No, they're _elves_," Firedancer corrected her, "and don't expect them to like being referred to that."

"Are they not nice?" Melena asked, "I thought Father Christmas's elves were happy."

"They are, most of the time," her reindeer friend replied, "some more than others."

"It's like Brigitte said in her story, they all look like ten-year-old children," Melena observed.

It was true. Every elf she saw was barely more than three feet high, and all had the youthful appearance and vigor of children between six and twelve. Their pointed ears stood proudly for all to see, and they all wore colorful, festive clothing.

"They're way older than that," Firedancer said, "ask any of them. All elves know how old they are, and they pride themselves on it."

"Really?" Melena asked.

"Yeah. Here we are." Firedancer replied.

The white reindeer stopped at the front doorstep of a large wooden building that had the look of a Swiss lodge. Melena slipped off of Firedancer, her legs stiff from riding for so long. Her rear hurt as well, and she stumbled a little.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Administration," Firedancer answered, "and I'm afraid this is the end of our journey." Melena turned in alarm.

"You're not going to leave me here, are you?" she asked fearfully.

"Don't worry about it," the deer reassured her, "you're safe here. All you need to do is go inside that building, and they will take care of the rest. You'll be fine."

He nudged Melena towards the large double doors with his nose.

"Go on," he said, like a mother encouraging her child to go to school on the first day.

"All right," Melena said reluctantly, pushing on one of the wooden doors. She heard hoof beats behind her; and looked quickly over her shoulder to see Firedancer gallop off down the street and launch into the air. Elves around the cloven beast got out of his way and watched in delight as he flew off.

Melena watched him disappear up into the…sky? She looked up, and up, and up, only to see something she hadn't expected. Far overhead, was an immense, shining glass dome. It must have been several thousand feet high, and seemed to glimmer with morning daylight. But from what Melena knew, that wasn't normal daylight, since she'd only been outside a moment ago. The girl simply couldn't understand it, shaking her head. It must have been magic.

She pushed open the grand doors and was greeted by a startling sight. The blond elf appeared to be walking into a huge office. Long, low desks snaked their way around the floor. All of them were made of rich, smooth oak and decked in holly swags. Each also had a child-like elf working hard on some sort of paperwork. Some had strange jewelry stuck in their ears, which they appeared to be talking to, and others were talking as well. Two other elves, both kiddish, were standing at other desks, talking to the clerks. They wore strange clothes, even stranger than the colorful numbers everyone else was wearing. (Melena didn't know much about parkas and snowsuits).

Awkward, Melena went up to one of the desks where a skinny boy elf was working. He wore one of the strange pieces of jewelry as well as a pair of eyeglasses perched on his round nose. He appeared to be very absorbed in his work, punching buttons on some strange device Melena couldn't see. She didn't know it at the time, but the elf was working on a laptop.

Melena looked around, brushing back her hair nervously before leaning down.

"Um, excuse me," she whispered, getting the elf's attention. She'd never felt so tall before. She was at least a foot and a half taller than everyone there, and the desks were a testament of this fact.

The boy looked up and looked surprised for a moment, but then a smile suddenly broke out on the elf's face.

"Ah! Melena! Welcome to the Elf Community," he announced, getting everyone's attention. The boy elf stood up and shook the blond elf's hand with vigor. He seemed to have a powerful voice for one so small.

"How did you know my name?" Melena asked.

"It's my job to know your name," the elf said as he sat back down. Melena looked back to see the other elves go back to work.

"Firedancer told me to come here, but I'm not sure as to why," she told the clerk.

"This is Administration," the elf replied, typing furiously, "He must have dropped you off to get registered."

"Does every elf do that?" Melena asked.

"Yup," said the boy elf, "in fact, that's what _they_ are doing." He pointed to the other two elves. They turned and waved at Melena before giggling and going back to their current affairs.

"You mean, elves like me come in every day?" Melena asked.

"Sure," the clerk elf replied, "not many, but we do get a few newbies every year." He then got out a long sheet of paper.

"Now, we'll start with your papers." The elf began writing down information from his computer.

"You're name is Melena. What's your surname?"

Melena cocked her head.

"What?"

"Your surname," the clerk repeated, "you know, your family name."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, but everyone in my homeland just went by their given names," the girl said, feeling a little confused.

"All right," the clerk muttered, "no last name. Where were you born?"

"At home," Melena answered. This time the clerk looked up at her strangely.

"You mean you weren't born in a hospital?" Melena returned the odd look.

"Hospitals are for soldiers of war. And we've been at peace in Prades for centuries. What does all this have to do with me anyway?"

"Prades then," the clerk said, writing down Melena's place of birth.

"I guess we'll call you Melena of Prades then, since you don't have a last name." With that, he continued with basics, getting down Melena's height, weight, hair color, eye color, and age, which got a peculiar look from nearly everyone in the room, as well as the year she was born. Melena didn't understand even half of what the elf was saying, nor did she understand why he kept looking at her oddly, until finally the registration form was filled.

"All right, it's all settled," the elf said, putting a stamp on the form. He placed it in an envelope and handed it to the girl elf next to him. Melena watched as the cream-colored envelope was passed down the line of elves to a slot in the wall.

"You are to be given a sponsor," the elf continued as he turned back to Melena. "They'll show you around until you feel fit to navigate the Community on your own, and you are to seek guidance from them. I'm placing you with…Leona." The boy pressed a button on his desk.

"Sponsors, send me down Leona," he said to the strange headpiece on his head. Melena wondered who he was talking to, when a girl elf suddenly appeared at the door.

* * *

**Okay, now you've **_**got **_**to be wondering, did Melena time-travel or something? That is one of the many mysteries this story has to offer, and you'll all have the fun of trying to figure out just how Melena and her past fit into all of this. More to come soon everybody :D**


	5. Leona

**Now we get to meet a rather popular character from the first two "Santa Clause" films, someone I know the girls will like ;)

* * *

**

She was one of the most peculiar elves Melena had ever seen. She looked at least ten years old, with an outfit as brightly colored as the other elves. Bright red curly hair spilled out from under a pointed green and gold hat, and she wore a short green dress with a red vest. Earrings shaped like tinkling gold bells hung from her pointy ears, which stood proudly at the sides of her head, and an amulet shaped like a wreath hung on a bronze chain around her neck. Her brown boots reached her knees, and she had a sparkling white smile on her face. She walked with a bouncy gait as she strode up to the desk.

"I've been hoping you'd assign me to her," she said in a lowered voice to the clerk.

"Melena of Prades," the boy elf said, standing up, "this is Leona. She will be your Sponsor for the next few months. Listen to her and follow her example. Now off with you two." He waved them off with his hands before getting to work. Leona took Melena's hand and led her out through a doorway decorated in candy-canes.

"I'm so glad I get to work with you, Melena." Leona said happily. Her voice sounded similar to the tinkling bells on her ears. The blond elf glanced at her smaller counterpart.

"How did you know my name?" she asked.

"They told me upstairs," Leona replied as they walked through a hallway decorated in holly. Silver sculptures of flying reindeer graced the doorway ahead, and other elves flooded the hall. Melena felt like a giraffe in a room full of penguins.

"What is a 'Sponsor,' Leona?" Melena asked as they walked through a set of carved doors. They entered a fantastic plaza, where the ground was covered in snow, and beautifully made buildings lined the edge of the area. A pretty sculpture of an angel stood proudly in the center of the town square, and there were elves everywhere.

Melena stopped and looked around, staring in awe at this sight. Her stupor, however, was cut short when something bumped into her. She jumped when she saw that it was a brown doe the size of a horse with two elves riding her.

"Sorry," the deer's mount called down as the beast strode past her.

"You have to watch out for those," Leona explained as she started walking again. She tugged on Melena's hand, signaling her to follow.

"A Sponsor is someone who helps others around when they're in a new place. Since I'm your Sponsor, it's my job to make sure you fit in. By the way, I'm pleased to work with you."

"Thank you," Melena said as they walked across the plaza. Dozens of elves crowded the area, carrying objects, dragging wagons, and doing other interesting tasks. Everywhere Melena looked, she could see Christmas in the making.

"First," Leona began, "I'll show you to the dormitory. Girls only, 'till you either find a home of your own, or…" her voice trailed off.

"Or what?" Melena asked. Leona looked up at her curly-haired companion.

"Or until you get married." She concluded. Melena and recoiled at the suggestion, remembering the bonfire.

"I don't believe that's going to happen anytime soon." She finally said.

Leona crinkled her nose and giggled.

"I know, it just happens sometimes. Besides, around here, anything's possible." The redheaded elf skipped alongside Melena for several minutes before they heard someone shouting orders ahead.

"…Dameon, make sure you get those gifts to wrapping on time. Elaine, slow that doe of yours down before you hurt yourself; and Bartamus, will you _please_ get somebody up to electronics? The fuse blew in the iPod Department. They need maintenance."

Melena looked up to see the last thing she expected in a place like this. It was a young male elf who looked nearer to her age. He was only a few inches taller than her, but that was saying a lot compared to the little ten-year-old types that flitted around them. Of all the boys in the village, none had looked as handsome as this fellow. He had glossy dark brown hair that hung slightly past his shoulders, and he had deep brown eyes. He wore a red tunic with gold trim and a pair of well-worn boots. He had several beaded necklaces around his neck, each of which had the look of being hand-made. A small bag hung from his belt, and he held an odd-looking item in his hand that he was poking at with a pen-like object. The only thing that marred the whole ensemble was the scowl on his face. He shook the tablet-like object in his hand, glaring at it.

"Curse this PDA. You'd think humans would use a better design when organizing things." The stranger complained.

"Hey Bernard," Leona said cheerily, "good morning." The newcomer elf turned his scowl towards the redhead.

"There's no such thing Leona, 'good morning' is an oxymoron."

Leona started laughing uncontrollably, while Melena gave her an odd look and glanced back at Bernard. She didn't understand the joke. The other elf didn't seem to notice.

"So Leona, what sorry-elf newcomer are you working on today," he sneered, getting down on one knee. Leona didn't seem to even notice the contempt in the other elf's voice.

"She's right here," the girl motioned towards Melena.

"This is Melena. She's just arrived." Leona introduced after calming down.

"Melena, this is Bernard, the Head Elf. He's the head honcho around here. He sees to it that we're on our toes." Bernard got up and finally looked at Melena, but only for a moment before saying to her,

"You must be the mix that Firedancer brought up. Mind you, I wouldn't have recommended it, but the Big Guy said so. Try and see as little of me as possible, and you'll be happy to get anywhere."

Bernard turned back to Leona and shoved the PDA at her.

"Take this up to Electronics. I can't get the stupid thing to work. It keeps saying 'application error' whenever I try and open my files." The Head Elf then turned and sauntered off.

Melena just stood there, shocked by the rudeness of the elf. She'd never been treated with such disrespect in her life. But she knew not what to do about it. Leona caught her look.

"Don't worry about Bernard," she assured the taller elf, "he sometimes gets to me too. He can be a grouch, but he's good at his job. He's kept the Community running smoothly for over sixteen hundred years, and he hasn't slipped up once. And that's saying a lot for him."

The blond elf, having already been stunned by the Head Elf's rudeness, now gasped and put a hand to her heart when she heard the number.

"Sixteen…hundred…years?" Melena repeated, staring in shock at Leona, "That elf is sixteen hundred years old?"

"No, actually he's seventeen hundred, but he didn't start working here until he got to a hundred. I heard they threw him a big birthday party when he hit twelve hundred. Boy was that a fiesta! I wish I'd been there, but I hadn't even been born yet."

Melena stopped.

"How old are you?" she asked. Leona stopped as well and thought for a moment.

"This year, I'll be two hundred. It's a fun time, getting to that number."

"You're two hundred?" Melena asked, not sure if her eyes could widen anymore. Leona looked up and realized why Melena was so surprised.

"You've grown up with humans, haven't you?" The taller elf nodded.

"I see," the small redhead said, "well, don't let the numbers get to you. We elves don't age or change much inside, save for our experiences. Most of us around here range between five hundred to seven hundred years. But I have a question. How old are _you?_"

"Me?" Melena said, now being the source of inquiry, "I'm seventeen." Now it was Leona's turn to get wide-eyed.

"Dang!" she exclaimed, "I would have thought you were at least twelve hundred and fifty! You look it."

"I do?" Melena said, staring oddly at her sponsor.

"Well, actually, I guess that's what comes of being half human. You grow up slightly faster than we do, and you stop aging later."

"Is _that_ what it means to be part elf?" the blond elf said as they went back to walking, "I had always wondered what made me different from my mother."

"Is that how it was?" Leona asked, "Your mom married a human guy?"

"Yes," was all Melena could say before becoming quiet. The memory of her parents had returned.

Leona could tell she'd brought up something sensitive, so she left off on talking to Melena for a while. The redheaded elf had never met a half-elf before, and already her protégé had brought on a humongous wave of curiosity. Elves all over the Community were asking about her, wanting to know what she looked like and if she was anything like their last half-human, half-elf. Leona felt lucky still, being a part of the whole deal, but she had worries about how Melena was going to fit in. After all, besides Bernard and that other, Melena was the only elf in the whole society that was tall. True, there were dozens of humans that were taller than Melena by far, but her five feet dwarfed a lot of the regular elves. Plus, she looked like a woman, rather than a child, which would also prove difficult for fitting in.

But Leona sensed a child-like quality to Melena's demeanor, which was good for her, for such attitudes were needed in a place like this. However, something bothered her about Melena's appearance.

"What's with the headband?" she asked, having noticed it ever since she first laid eyes on Melena in Administration.

"What?" Melena said, coming out of her deep thoughts.

"Your headband," Leona said, pointing, "why are you wearing it? Are you ashamed of your ears or something?" Before the blond elf could answer, Leona suddenly remembered something.

"No wait, I know why. Elves all over the world do that. You were hiding your ears, weren't you?" Melena nodded, fingering her jeweled bracelet.

"Well, you don't have to here. In this place, you are safe to proudly show them. Don't be afraid."

"Really?" Melena asked, cautiously reaching up and untying her headband. She took it off, revealing her forehead and her pointed ears for the first time outside her home.

"There," Leona said, satisfied, "that looks much better." Melena let out a nervous laugh

They came upon another beautiful building, this one decorated with gilded framework and holly hangings.

"Goodness!" Melena breathed when she saw it.

"What?" Leona asked, turning.

"What is this place?" the blond elf asked as she stared upward.

"This is the dormitory," Leona replied, "your new home."

**~/~/~/~/~**

Leona led Melena into a large lobby and up the stairs. The taller elf had never seen such living quarters before. She asked her sponsor what a dormitory exactly was, and found out that it was a place where several people stayed, like an inn; only guests were allowed to stay for longer than one night.

Leona pointed out that nearly a hundred girl elves resided in that dormitory alone. She also spoke of how there were several more dormitories scattered around the Elf Community, but most elves eventually built houses for themselves around the edge of the place. Melena wondered if she would have to build herself a house soon, for she knew she might not be going back home, and then another twinge of homesickness washed over her.

She became quiet, barely taking heed of her friend's directions as they walked down a hallway on the second floor. Melena thought of her house in Prades, now with just Brigitte living there alone. She imagined Brigitte would be worried sick at her disappearance, and a search would begin amongst the villagers. Melena could just see the worried look on her old friend's face, and the unhappy expressions on the faces of the young men who had wanted to marry her, as well as the more relieved looks of the young women of the village. She could see the lonely horses at the Courier's stables and the discontented looks on the faces of her clients.

It all finally came crashing down on Melena's soul like a painfully cold deluge. She began to feel she had been terribly selfish, getting stuck in this alien and stranger-filled place and leaving the only home she'd known without a moment's notice. And for what? A stupid wish to make something of herself? Her heart began to ache, and her vision became blurred.

Sadly, Leona didn't notice at first. She simply walked on ahead, opening up carved wooden doors that led into a large room that had a gallery of beds marching up the sides. Each bed was a simple, twin-size bed made of wood, each fully covered in soft, warm bedclothes and a colorful bedspread. Frames were built around all the beds, with curtains to draw around to gain privacy. Each bed had a large wooden trunk at the end for storing clothes, as well as another trunk underneath to store personal items, and a nightstand with a lamp.

"This is where you'll go to sleep, change clothes, and lodge in for a while," Leona explained as she walked past the beds.

The room was far from empty. There were child-like girl elves scattered around on various beds. Some congregated on one bed, having giggly conversations and playing board games, some were napping on top of the sheets on their beds, and some were simply lying there, reading. Over half of the beds were vacant, since most of the girl elves that slept there were out working.

Leona brought Melena over to an unoccupied bed that had been made up just that morning. It had a soft, red and gold coverlet covered in shimmery green wreaths. The nightstand had been dusted, as well as the trunk, and it was all ready for Melena.

"This will be your—" the red-headed elf was cut off when she saw Melena rush over and throw herself down on the comforter. "—bed." Leona finished, suddenly realizing that her protégé was crying. She glanced over and saw the other elves had stopped what they were doing and were watching, curious as to why the newcomer was so sad. Leona could instantly see that Melena needed privacy, and quickly drew the curtains shut. Thankfully, these were magical curtains, which cut off sound from the outside, unless one was standing really close or stuck their head in.

"What's the matter Melena?" Leona asked. Her friend didn't reply, but the other elf started getting the feeling she knew what was wrong.

"You miss your home, don't you?" Leona said quietly. Melena looked up, startled. Her face was tear-stained and pink.

"How did you know?" she asked, sniffing. The red-headed elf sat down on the bed.

"I've seen it before, in other elves I've worked with. You're not alone Melena. There are many elves that miss their former lives."

The blond elf sniffed and wiped her nose before burying her face into the pillow.

"I should have never gone for a ride on that reindeer. If I'd known this would happen…"

"It was your time, Melena. Every elf born in the human world is bound to come back here eventually." Leona tried to be soothing. Melena could feel a humongous weight in her heart, and she could barely breathe. It hurt so much, leaving everything she'd known behind. It especially hurt to know that she might never be able to go back.

"Please, leave me be," Melena sobbed, not looking at Leona, "I need to be alone."

"It's okay," the smaller elf said soothingly. She put a comforting hand on Melena's back and rubbed it a little before getting off the bed.

"I'll come back in a while. You just stay here, all right?" Melena managed a nod before the other elf finally left. And so, the blond elf was left to her tears, taking the first step into a new life.

* * *

**Yay! Bernard's back! I so missed him :) It's kinda weird, but I didn't like him all that much when I first saw "The Santa Clause," (I was 8 when it came out), but I later started to like him as I grew up. Maybe it's a girl thing, lol. He wouldn't be my first choice of boyfriend, but he is a rather decent-looking elf, wouldn't you agree, ladies? Melena certainly thought so, before he opened his mouth, rofl. **

**It's one of the many reasons I avoided "Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause." No "Santa Clause" film is complete without him, am I right? **

**Looks like Bernard has gotten a little testy in the past few years. It also appears that Melena has a new friend, which always helps when one is in a new place and needs help getting around. At least we finally learned why Bernard looks like a teenager instead of a child, and what makes Melena different from normal elves. We also learned why Melena was brought there in the first place. She's apparently not the only elf raised in the human world. **

**More to come later, and please review. I'd like to hear from the kind people who took the time to read this fanfic :)**


	6. The Doll Disaster

**Hey everybody :) December has come, and so has the Christmas season, yay! Got another fun-filled chapter for you all to read. This time Melena gets to take on her duties as a Christmas Elf in Santa's Workshop, but being half human, will she be able to handle it?

* * *

**

Leona returned to the dormitory an hour later to find a more composed Melena sitting on her new bed. She'd put her cloak away and her eyes were dry. The blond smiled at the sight of her sponsor. It was comforting to know she had a friend. Melena could tell that Leona was someone she could trust.

She tucked her hair behind her ears and stood up.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Leona smiled, "I worried you might not adjust very well."

"I'm fine," Melena said, adjusting her mussed up village dress. She hadn't changed her clothes at all since the big ride on Firedancer, so she still had on the same outfit. Leona noticed the clock and took a hold of Melena's hand.

"Come on, there's still lunch being served downstairs."

**~/~/~/~/~**

"….and it turns out, the little girl was over there, flirting with Simon! Can you believe it?" The two elves laughed over Melena's story.

"I never knew you had such a life down there," Leona said, getting over her laughter. She and the blond elf were down in the mess hall, sitting by a window to watch other elves outside. Melena had never eaten food given to her through a window, and she found it much more convenient than having to work all day to prepare a meal like she did at home. Melena glanced around at the Christmas decorations in the room.

"This is a beautiful place, you know," the blond said as she munched on some bread.

"You'll like it here, I promise," Leona assured her, "I want to show you around, but it's better if you get your rest for now." She then noticed how wrinkled and stained Melena's dress was, and realized the taller elf had no clothes other than what was on her back. Melena began cleaning up the dishes on her tray.

"Before we do anything," Leona said, stopping her, "we need to get you some clothes."

**~/~/~/~/~**

"So how exactly do you find clothing in this place?" Melena asked as they walked down the street.

"At Evelyn's Place of course!" Leona said, "She's the best tailor on the North Pole!"

"A tailor!" Melena exclaimed, "But tailors are for rich people! And I have no money with me!"

"Don't sweat it," Leona assured her taller friend, "we don't buy hardly anything up here except insurance, and even then, we get help. Besides, you won't be able to find a better elf at making custom-made outfits."

"Do I really need a tailor?" Melena asked, following to keep up with her smaller friend's quick pace.

"Yes, definitely," Leona replied matter-of-factly, "especially in your case. You're taller than most elves, so not many of the clothes they shell out each year would fit you. It's best to seek the help of a professional."

"I don't see why it's so important," Melena stated as they walked down a busy street, "I've been making my own clothes since I was ten."

"Really?" Leona said in surprise, staring at Melena's outfit.

"You _made_ that?" she asked, pointing at the other elf's dress. Melena nodded.

"Wow!" Leona said in awe, "I haven't seen craftsmanship that good since I first met Evelyn."

It was true. It wasn't the fanciest dress Melena owned, but it was lovely on her. She wore a white blouse that exposed her shoulders and had puffy, elbow-length sleeves, and a full hunter-green skirt that reached to her ankles. A gathered, rust-colored overskirt covered the upper half of the green skirt, and a light brown lace-up vest adorned Melena's torso, flattering her figure in the process. Melena also wore her usual peasant boots and bracelet, but she had little else besides the dark green cape she'd left upstairs. And she had made it all on her own.

"Thank you," Melena said gratefully.

"Either way, you stick out like a sore thumb," Leona said, returning to her walk. It was true. Compared to the colorful costumes all the other elves wore, Melena's looked somewhat plain and out of place.

"Don't remind me," she said flatly, walking past various shops and buildings covered in Christmas décor.

"Don't worry," Leona promised, "once we've got you established and with a full wardrobe, you'll fit in like it's nobody's business."

The two elf girls came upon a tall, oval-shaped building that was draped in red ribbon and glittering green and gold banners. In great brass calligraphy, the sign over the door read, _Threads for All Seasons_. As they walked in, they were greeted by a very energetic elf.

"Leona, dahling," she said, even though her voice was too high and child-like to imitate an aristocrat, "back so soon?"

"Hey Evelyn," the redhead greeted back as she hugged the other elf, "I've got a new client here for ya."

"Really?" Evelyn said, intrigued. Leona gestured towards Melena.

"Ah! Melena, I've heard so much about you!" Evelyn gushed, rushing over and shaking the taller girl's hand. Melena was too busy staring at this new elf to wonder about how she knew her.

Evelyn was even more peculiar than Leona. She was even shorter than the average elf, wore her hair in a strange short style, and had cat's-eye glasses. Behind the glasses, she had large violet eyes that sparkled with enthusiasm.

"Evelyn, we're here to get Melena's measurements so you can make her some clothes," Leona reminded the designer.

"Oh, yes of course!" Evelyn cried. She rushed over to her desk and typed something into her laptop.

"Melena, stand over on the X please." The bespectacled elf pointed at a white X that was on the floor next to the wall. Not understanding, Melena simply walked cautiously up and placed her feet on the X.

"Turn around, and don't move," Evelyn said, her eyes focused on the screen of her computer. Melena did so, and a strange green light passed straight through her.

"_Scan complete,"_ the computer said, and Melena looked around, trying to figure out where the other voice was coming from.

"What was that?" Melena asked, rejoining Leona.

"Scanner dahling," Evelyn explained, "it tells me your exact measurements." She leaped off the desk and landed in front of the two girl elves.

"Now all I need is a mannequin in your size and you'll have clothes in no time. Expect them in by tomorrow."

"But wait," Melena said, "can't I just pick out my own clothes?"

"That's the beauty of Evelyn's craft," Leona said, crinkling her nose, "she can tell what elves like, just by looking at them."

"Is true," Evelyn said, forming her hands into a square as she looked Melena over.

"You seem like the medieval type. And you like the color red. I know of several colors that would look simply _amazing_ with that hair, and none of it clashing." Melena stared at the fashion designer, not believing that the elf seemed to have read her mind.

"Come on, Melena, Evey can take it from here." Leona took her friend's hand. As they headed out the door, Evelyn called,

"I'll have them shipped to your dormitory tomorrow evening."

**~/~/~/~/~**

Later that evening, the two of them sat on Melena's new bed, with Leona was teaching her how to play the _Sorry_ game. They'd already played four rounds and Melena was getting the hang of it.

"Tomorrow you start on your first job," Leona said as she moved her pawns several spaces.

"Job?" Melena asked. She dropped one of the cards.

"This _is_ the North Pole, and you _are_ an elf, you know." Leona reminded her.

"Oh yes!" Melena said, "I remember now. The elves are supposed to help Santa by making toys for him to deliver around the world. Do I get to do that?"

"We'll see," Leona replied, "but there's a lot more to working around here than simply making toys. A lot of us elves have to do jobs that _help_ the people making the toys. Plus, you can't exactly _choose_ what you want to do in this business. The Elf Council does the choosing."

"Why is that?" Melena asked. Leona thought for a moment as she read a card and moved one of her pawns to home.

"There's a lot of jobs out there, too many for even you to count. It's best if you let us pick the job _for_ you, otherwise, things could get mixed up."

Melena thought about that as she sent one of Leona's pawns back to start. It seemed rather odd that the elves simply couldn't choose the job they wanted. But Melena couldn't imagine the true number or scale of jobs there were in the Community. Even after they finished the game and Leona said good night, Melena was pondering over the whole issue. She wondered what the Elf Council possibly had in store for her, and she fell asleep, dreaming about making toys.

**~/~/~/~/~**

Melena's first job was in the Doll Department. When she entered the building, she could have sworn she'd walked into a dream. Dolls of every shape and size could be seen, lining the walls, standing as decorations, and hanging from the ceiling. The majority of the dolls were being made as gifts for little girls all over the world. Dozens of girl elves happily toiled away at each kind of doll.

When Melena first saw the Head of the department, she couldn't help but notice the elf looked like a doll herself.

"Hello Melena," the Head said sweetly, "we're happy you can join us today. We're always in need of help around here. Come this way please."

Leona winked at the blond elf as they wove their way past tables and workstations galore. At one point, they entered a large room that had elves working on dolls up on a balcony, and wrapping them on the main floor below.

"The Doll Department's a really nice place to work for a newcomer," Leona told Melena, "everyone here is nice and willing to help. Don't worry. You'll fit right in."

The trio climbed a set of ornately carved stairs decorated in red and green ribbons up to the balcony. The dept. Head gave Melena a white smock with a pink double-D logo on one of the shoulders. She then led the girl over to a table near the balcony.

"We'll put you with the packaging crew, for starters," the girl elf told Melena, "here; you'll parcel up the new Holiday Barbie's and take them downstairs for wrapping. It's very simple and hardly a problem."

"What's a Barbie?" Melena asked as she sat down. She'd never heard such a strange name for a doll before. Leona and the department Head exchanged looks.

A small elf in a smock similar to Melena's brought up a wooden tray with at least twenty dolls on it. When the load was placed in front of the blond elf, she took in the sight of the doll. It was a pretty thing, with blond hair that seemed like real hair, and its body was jointed with a surrealistically molded and painted face. Melena had never seen a doll of this quality. She was used to rag dolls and (once in a while), a porcelain doll with a fancy lace dress. This thing was almost like a real woman lying in front of her. However, it behaved as it was; a doll. She was dressed in a beautiful gown that seemed like a perfect paragon of Christmas. Each one of these was attached to a thin, card-like backing that showed a snowy landscape.

Melena's stunned gaze was cut off when she was given a pile of flattened boxes and another tray.

"You are to package these dolls like so," the department Head said. As she spoke, she unfolded one of the boxes and closed the bottom to create the odd box shape. The elf then took one of the Barbie's and carefully slid it in before closing the box and pushing the upper flap through the slot.

"And then, when you're done with this lot, you can bring them down to Packaging for wrapping. Do you understand?" The Head finished.

Not entirely understanding, Melena nodded slightly and took the box from the elf. She put it on the new tray and took a hold of another Barbie and another box. Feeling an odd sense of happiness, she turned and smiled at Leona, who returned the expression with silent glee.

"I'll leave you here to get to work," the redheaded elf told Melena, "if you need me, just tell the department Head and she'll call me. Good luck!" With that, Leona was off.

Melena turned back to her job. She sat at a table with at least four other girl elves, all dressed in the same smock as her, and doing the exact same thing. There were other tables and dolls being worked on as well, and the din of noise was something to get used to. Music could be heard wafting around the huge complex, and Melena found it soothing.

She got to work; trying to manage the strange Barbie doll she'd been given. Following the example the department Head had shown her, Melena had to use her first box as a reference several times before she'd memorized the process. The box she used was equally as pretty as the doll, and she'd never seen one with a window on the front before.

Pretty soon, Melena had finished her twenty dolls. They looked okay, not too much scratching. Some of the stress Melena had been feeling half an hour before had worn off, and she felt more comfortable as she piled the boxes on her tray and headed towards the staircase the other doll packagers were using.

However, as she walked along the balcony, Melena soon found out how light the boxes were. Several on top of the pile slid off and landed on the floor. A few elves looked over their shoulders to see what had caused the noise. Blushing, Melena sheepishly picked them back up and continued.

She didn't know if she was being slow in her work, so Melena rushed towards the staircase. Suddenly, her foot slipped on an odd-looking tool on the floor. Melena fell towards the edge of the balcony, screaming in fright at her sudden loss of balance. Her underarms slammed into the railing as the boxes and tray went flying.

Down below, Bernard had been walking around amongst the wrappers, making sure they were getting the dolls done in time. Once in a while he'd wake up a sleepy elf, or remind a slow-moving elf that Christmas was coming. Usually Bernard wouldn't go near the Doll Department very much. It was too girly for him. But he would force himself to go to make sure things were kept up. Personally, Bernard had wanted to see what kind of progress the newcomer—Melena was her name—was having.

And all of a sudden, out of the blue, a shower of Holiday Barbie boxes fell on his head like small meteors.

"What the—" his surprised reaction was cut off when the wooden tray fell on him, knocking the Head Elf off his feet and causing him to bang his arm against one of the tables.

"Ow!" he yelled in pain as he landed with his back on the paper-strewn floor.

Dozens of elves gasped and stopped what they were doing. Never had they seen a calamity as this. The average elf would think that this was the first time in history anyone had ever dive-bombed the Head Elf with Barbie doll boxes. Melena stared down from the balcony; her blue eyes wide open in horror at what she had done. The other elf girls up on the gallery with her were staring down with equal dismay.

_Now I've done it,_ Melena thought, biting her lip.

Gripping his arm, Bernard picked himself up off the wrapper-strewn floor. He did _not_ look happy.

"Who did this?" he demanded, his glare causing every nearby elf to back off. None of the little girl elves spoke, they merely stared upwards. When Bernard saw where everyone was looking, he glanced up to see Melena, still slung over the rail, frozen in terror. The Head Elf stared up at her in contempt.

"Come here," he said, indicating with his finger.

Cautiously, Melena got off the railing and headed towards the spiral staircase. Her underarms hurt, no doubt bruised from the railing. She had heard Bernard yelling at other elves earlier, and she wondered what he would do to her.

Her face got red when she realized that all eyes were on her. It got even worse, for the Head Elf was waiting at the bottom of the staircase.

"What did I tell you about seeing me as little as possible?" Bernard demanded. He still held his arm and seemed to tower over Melena, despite the fact he wasn't much taller than her. The blond elf stared, trying to think of something to say, but nothing came out.

"You nearly gave me _heart attack_, you happy?" Bernard yelled, making Melena jump. He let out an angry noise and stalked off.

"Leona's going to hear about this!" he fumed as he left.

Melena watched him leave, shaken by the tongue-lashing. It wasn't the most shattering thing she heard, but it certainly left a mark on everyone. Without a word, Melena took off her smock and left it on the banister. The other elves went back to work, but many of them stole glances at the taller elf as she walked out.

Leona found her sitting on the steps, her elbow propped on her knee, staring at the ground. The redheaded elf heard what had happened and didn't need to ask. She merely put a sympathetic smile on her face and took Melena's hand.

"Come on," she said, leading her taller friend along, "let's go home."

**~/~/~/~/~**

"Can I still work at the Doll Department?" Melena asked. She was lying on her dorm bed, staring into space.

"I'm sorry," Leona apologized, "but when you get a yell from Bernard…well…its back to square one." Melena wasn't sure about the cliché, but she could tell when the answer was no.

"What kind of place is this?" she asked, sitting up on the bed, "First you're all happy to see me, and then you aren't happy. Which one is it?" Leona sat down on the foot of Melena's bed.

"We're all happy to have you here Melena; it's just that you can't work in the Doll Department anymore. Especially not after 'raining on Bernard's parade.'" At this, Leona giggled.

Still slightly pained from the memory, Melena flopped back on the bed.

"It wasn't that funny. I thought he was going to kill me." Leona's laughing subsided.

"No, no," she said cheerfully, "he's never killed anyone for messing up around here. Oh, by the way, I've got a new job for you, which you start tomorrow."

"Already?" Melena said in surprise, "But what if I make a mistake in that one?"

"Then we'll find you another job," Leona explained, "that's what happens when an elf makes a mistake. He or she is given another job in its place, until they find something they're good at."

"What's the job?" Melena asked. Leona then got a mischievous smile on her face.

"Oh, you'll see, you'll see."

* * *

**Gee, bet you didn't think working with Barbie's of all things was so hazardous, lol. And what new job does Leona have for Melena to do? Next chapter is coming soon :) **


	7. Baking or Breaking?

** Hey everybody, I'm back :) I figured, since there hasn't been an update in a while, I'd give everybody the opportunity of not reading one, but **_**two**_** chapters ;) This is the first one, and you wonder just how an elf like Melena will handle her new job…

* * *

**

The next day, Leona escorted Melena to a very tall building several streets away from the plaza. It looked across between a factory and a gingerbread house. Actually, it was more like a gingerbread palace. Speaking of palaces, Melena saw another unusual building in the Community she had not seen the day before. It sat on a hill on the far side of the community, and so tall was it, that the building nearly touched the curving ceiling of the crystal dome. The sight of it drew her breath away.

It was palace, a magnificent work of art, having been built by the artists of antiquity. Round, fairy-tale-like towers rose up from the lower floors, and red pennants hung from the spires. A colorful, elf-sized train through a series of tunnels beneath the palace, and a frozen mirror of a lake stood beside the edifice. Beautiful stained-glass windows allowed for rosy light from within to shine through, and every Christmas decoration known to man graced the outer walls of the castle. There was a grand, sweeping balcony on the third floor in front, no doubt there for impressive announcements. Melena had never seen anything so majestic.

When Leona realized that Melena wasn't following her anymore, she walked over and joined her astonished friend on the marble bridge they had been crossing over. The red-headed elf smiled.

"Oh, I see you've caught sight of the Winter Palace." She said knowingly.

"What?" Melena asked, shaking out of her stupor. Her mind had gone blank in the last few seconds.

"That's the Winter Palace, where Santa lives," Leona gestured. Melena's eyes widened.

"You mean…" She was at a loss for words.

"Yes, that's where the Big Guy lives."

"So he _is_ king here," Melena breathed.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Leona said, gently taking her tall friend by the arm, "he's more like a friend of everyone, or even a father, but the king part goes without saying."

"Really?" Melena asked as they walked down the holly-festooned street.

Like with the plaza, the streets of the North Pole community were alive with child-like elves running about, doing their jobs, delivering packages, leading or riding reindeer, decorating buildings, and numerous other Christmas activities. Tall brass lanterns lined the streets and walkways, each decorated with wreaths, ribbons, or banners with Christmas symbols on them. Other buildings lined the streets, each serving curious purposes that Melena found fascinating. _Candy Crumblers_, _Lego Leaders_, _Boats United_, _Puppy Palace_, _Cat Castle_, and _Holiday Cheer_, were some of the many signs Melena saw over the entrances of the buildings. Some she didn't understand, such as the _Electronics Dept._, or _Laptop Land_, but she could easily see where a lot of the amazing gifts delivered on Christmas came from.

The Baking factory wasn't the most outstanding structure on the street, but it was obvious where all those delicious smells were coming from. Melena followed Leona in through the huge double doors. The sight that met her eyes was equally as amazing as the Doll Department had been. Dozens of elves, boys and girls alike, were rushing about in white cook's coats and aprons, tending to numerous delightful foods. Cakes were being pulled out of ovens and decorated on the balconies; soups were being stirred around in huge, shining metal vats; steam from various confections wafted up from pots; and delicious meals were being carted this way and that across the main floor. It all explained where the food in the dorm came from.

Melena was overwhelmed by the multitude of smells, which ranged from fantastic desserts, to spices and meats. Already she felt hungry, even though breakfast has only been ten minutes ago. Melena ended up having to squash the urge to grab a candied apple off one of the passing wagons, for she knew as well as any girl how to watch her figure.

Before she could speak to Leona, a boy elf only slightly taller than his peers came up. Like everyone else, he wore a white cook's coat over his clothes, as well as a chef's hat.

"'ello Leona," the boy greeted the sponsor. Melena could only guess he was the "head honcho" for this particular department.

"Hey Arty," Leona said back, "how's the food comin?"

"Excellent," the head cook replied, "The 'omeless peoples' gifts are 'ot off the burners and things are looking up for the lit'le kids." Melena found Arty's accent quite peculiar. She'd never heard one like it, where he dropped his H's, and all his vowels seemed somewhat distorted. But then again, a number of the elves in the Community had interesting accents.

"Is this the lady elf I've 'eard tell about?" the Head Cook looked up at Melena like she was some kind of tremendously tall tower.

"My, more like a lady giant if you ask me." Arty observed. Melena gave him a funny look. She'd never been referred to as a giant before, and it was an odd comparison.

"I just 'ave to ask you a question," the Arty said, "do you 'ave any experience in cookin?" Melena shrugged.

"Of course, I've had to cook for myself and others since I was six." Like lightning, Arty smiled and shook her hand.

"You're 'ired!"

Within minutes, Melena was clad in a cook's coat, her hair was tied back, and she was escorted to the nearest oven. It was huge, white and silver boxy thing, completely alien to her. There were several levels of balconies in the main atrium of the bakery, each meant for a certain sort of food. Melena was on the third level, working with cakes. They all smelled wonderful, being made of chocolate, lemon dough, cinnamon dough, and the angel-food was a complete novelty to the girl.

The job was simple enough. All she had to do was place several pans filled with cake batter into her assigned oven, set the temperature and time, and go off to help with other jobs in the area while they cooked. There was just one problem.

Melena had no clue how to operate an electronic oven. She didn't even understand where the heat came from, nor did she know what degrees or timers were. She put the first three cake trays inside, but after closing the door, she knew not what to do. Melena thought of asking, but she didn't know exactly how to say it. Leona had gone off to help in other departments, and she wished the sponsor elf had not left. She looked around and saw a boy elf working on a similar oven. The girl watched as the elf punched in some numbers and then pressed start.

Melena glanced back at her oven and took a deep breath before punching in some random numbers and pressing the start button. As soon as she was done, she heard someone calling her.

"Excuse me," a small, dark-haired elf said, "can you help me with this?" Melena saw the little girl elf trying to reach the top of a very tall layered cake to place a candy ornament, but the ladder wasn't tall enough.

"Of course," the blond said, lifting the little girl up. She looked peculiar, having skin the color of chocolate, fuzzy black hair, and big brown eyes that could melt the coldest heart. Introductions were made, and Melena found the dark-skinned elf was named Tinequah.

"That's an interesting name," the blond elf said as she lowered the little elf down and helped pass odd-looking tubes to her.

"Melena's a pretty name too," Tinequah replied as she squeezed colored frosting out of the tubes. The blond elf smiled and watched in fascination as her new friend turned the huge cake into a masterpiece. She'd never seen so many colors used to frost a delight like this. A friendly conversation began between them, and Melena learned that many of the foods being made here were magically delivered to Christmas parties around the world. Other foods were given to the poor by Santa.

"That's a tribute he pays to the very first St. Nicholas," Tinequah said proudly as she put the finishing touches on her edible work of art.

"I remember hearing about him," Melena said as she helped put away the equipment.

"You ready?" Tinequah asked as she took a hold of the cart.

"Of course," Melena replied as she took a hold of the handle.

"You'll love the elevators we got. They're magic, and there's no better way to get something like this cake downstairs than elevators." Melena didn't understand what Tinequah was talking about, but then again, there were a lot of things she didn't understand in the North Pole.

They were about to push the cart out of the kitchen, when Melena smelled something burning. A great commotion rose up behind her, and she looked to see smoke rising from one of the ovens.

"Uh oh," Tinequah said, "that's not good. Isn't that your oven?" she asked. Melena gasped in horror when she realized what she had done. The other elves were backing off and wanting to know whose oven that was.

Melena abandoned the giant cake and rushed over. More smoke billowed out as she thrust open the door, making her cough and her eyes burn. She barely looked inside before she realized the cakes were burning. The elf didn't even think. She just grabbed the first cake and ended up burning her hands and catching the sleeve of her cook's coat on fire.

The girl screamed as she backed off and tried putting out the fire on her sleeve by putting it in a bowl of what looked like water. But it wasn't water. It was brandy one of the nearby cooks was planning on putting in his cake, but he had been interrupted. The fire flared up, and Melena screamed from the pain as the fire reached her skin. She flailed around, wanting nothing more than to put it out. She was lucky Tinequah appeared with a fire blanket and put it on her arm and hands to snuff out the flames.

Arty also appeared with a strange-looking red bottle, which he used to spray a white cloud at the flames. Within minutes, the place was safe to walk around in, but there was steam and ash all over.

"Tinequah! Get her to the Elf 'ospital immediately!" he shouted when he saw Melena's burns. The little dark elf instantly took Melena's unburned arm and led her as quickly as she could towards the door.

"And get 'er there before that ol' sausage Bernard turns up," Arty added as they neared the door, "last thing I want is 'im lousing up me kitchen!"

Melena moaned in pain as she and Tinequah got outside. Her hands and arm felt overheated and yet icy at the same time, and constantly stung. Never in her time at Prades had she ever had an accident such as this. The littlest movements hurt her, and she couldn't bring herself to look at the red welts on her hands.

That's when Leona came running up.

"Melena!" she cried breathlessly, "I came as soon as I heard. Are you okay?" The little redhead looked her over and saw the burn sores on her hands and left arm. She gasped in shock, but then quickly sprung into action.

"I'll take her from here," she told Tinequah.

"Is she going to be ok?" the little dark elf asked.

"She'll be fine as long as we don't run into Bernard first," Leona called over her shoulder.

The Elf Hospital resembled a large stone cottage with two floors, and was very cozy inside. Melena wasn't the only elf that got injured on the job, but none of the patients in the waiting room were nearly as bad off as she was. An elf doctor with shiny black hair instantly dropped what she was doing and came running out from the office. She quickly led Melena and Leona into a wood-paneled examination room. After carefully removing Melena's cook's coat, the doctor got out a peculiar device that looked like a silver rod, and directed a thin, white beam of light out of it that practically erased all of Melena's welts and burns. The elf doctor then gave her a small white sucker that tasted like grapes and caused the pain in her arm and hands to fade.

"Eat that until it's all gone, understand?" the elf doctor told Melena, "It'll help with the pain. And take these as well." She gave her a small package of white pain-killing suckers.

"If the pain comes back, have some of these, and don't share them with anybody. These aren't candy. You should be fine in a day or so. Have a good day, and stay away from any more ovens." Melena and Leona would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious.

As they left the clinic, Melena rubbed her newly healed hands and arm, staring in fascination at where the burns had been.

"How did she do that?" she asked in amazement.

"Magic and technology, you gotta love 'em." Leona replied, looking in good spirits once more. However, Melena's admiration wore off immediately when she remembered the kitchen disaster.

"I'm not going back," she told the smaller elf, "cooking in that manner is dangerous. If I must burn myself every time, being a baker isn't worth it."

"Melena, I'm sorry," Leona told her, "it wasn't my idea to put you in there, and if the Elf Council hadn't been using their brains as seat cushions, they would have known never to stick you with that kinda job." Melena would have added her own annoyance to Leona's opinion of this Elf Council, but something more worrisome came to mind at that moment.

"Is Bernard around?" she asked fearfully, glancing about in every direction, "Oh, I'm really in for it now."

"What happened?" Leona asked as they rounded the corner, "I didn't hear the report. As soon as I heard you were hurt, I ran as fast as I could. What ha—"

"_Burning half the kitchen? Ruining four perfectly good cakes? Putting several elves in shock? A three-hour delay in cleaning! Setting the bakers back three days in schedule? What's the matter with you?_" The two girl elves turned to see a very angry Bernard, standing there with a very embarrassed-looking Arty. Apparently they had been tracking Melena down. The blond elf looked away.

"Good Lord, she did what?" Leona asked in surprise.

"That _half-elf_ right there nearly burned down half of one our most important kitchens!" Cris ranted, "She should be made into a safety hazard!" Leona wasn't going to let Melena take the heat for this one. She'd read in on her friend's background and wasn't about to let the Head Elf forget it.

"May I have a word with you?" Leona demanded, feeling almost as annoyed as she sounded. She grabbed Bernard by the arm and led him out of earshot of Melena and Arty. Seeing that he was no longer needed, the Head Cook quietly took the burned cook's coat from Melena and headed back to Baking. Melena stood and watched, feeling somewhat safer at having a friend at her side.

"Listen here Bernard, her being part elf has _nothing_ to do with her skills," Leona said angrily.

"Don't lecture me on background Leona," the Head Elf snapped, pulling his arm away, "You remember what happened last time a half-elf came in. He caused so many disasters that he was almost sent back to the Human World. He's just lucky the council gave him that mining job."

"Yeah, mining for coal to give bad kids," Leona retorted, knowing that that was the worst job an elf could be given.

"She is dangerous," Bernard insisted, pointing heatedly at the blond elf.

"No she's not," Leona disagreed, "did you even _look_ at her background files? She comes from a sixteenth century village! They don't know a darned _thing_ about modern cooking! What made you think she was going to do well in there?" Bernard crossed his arms.

"_I_ wasn't the one who assigned her there, and besides, she could have asked for help." he growled.

"Nevertheless, you really should look into that next time." Leona pointed out.

"You realize the only reason I'm letting you keep your job, is that you're good at it," Bernard said.

"The Council knew what they were doing when they assigned me," Leona said self-righteously.

"It makes me wonder if they're making the right decisions about this mix," he said, gesturing back to Melena.

"They have to see what's she's good at. Modern baking isn't one of her skills. I'm sorry, Bernard."

"She's going to have to learn about the modern world anyway, so don't baby her," the Head Elf warned, "I'll be watching her from now on."

"Fine," Leona said, "but I'll be watching as well."

* * *

**Wow, that was scary. Talk about culture shock for Melena :/ And you'd think that Bernard would have more sympathy for the girl. It also brings about another question to the mystery of Melena's origins. It seems the elves know she's from a village from the 16****th**** century, and yet this doesn't make them curious. Why is that? More to come in the next chapter :D**


	8. Mayhem in Toyland

** Hey guys, this is the other chapter I promised to post. It appears we've now seen that Melena can't work with dolls or cooking. So what else will she be tested with? Perhaps one of the most highly sought-after jobs in the Elf Community?

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**

"Don't worry about this job, Melena," Leona assured her blue-eyed friend, "you're gonna love it! Every elf in the community _dreams_ of working here." It was only a few hours after the cooking disaster, and Melena was surprised that her sponsor could find her a new job so quickly. She had known her whole life that elves up in the North Pole worked to make toys, but until today, she had wondered where the toy-making was going on; and there they were.

It appeared the Toy Factory was the second largest of all the buildings in the community, and Melena stared in awe at the inside. The structure was so large, that there were buildings inside of it! Had she grown up in the modern world, Melena could have likened the place to a mega mall, such as Mall of America, or Macy's. The place was huge! The main room was like an immense gilded cavern. The walls were covered with what appeared to be mosaics made from pieces of gold and colored glass. Holly-wrapped pillars marched along the walls, and a high, domed ceiling allowed for space in height. Huge stained-glass windows allowed light in, as well as a crystal skylight, so the place was brightly lit. Christmas trees, angel chandeliers, holly; red, white, green, and gold ribbons; stars, wreaths, and other beautiful decorations festooned the various areas of the room; reminding the elves within how close the holiday was.

There were smaller buildings within the huge atrium, with elves going in and out every few seconds. Some didn't even have doors. Balconies, of course, rose up in the middle of the room, each one going slightly behind the other like terraces, and open workshops were everywhere on the ground floor. Elves toiled away at different toys, ranging from small wooden trinkets, to grand rocking horses that looked almost real.

Other elves came and went, delivering or transferring finished presents. Some simply did parts of the toys and then sent them to other areas where other parts were added to create an assembly line for the gifts. The area reminded Melena a great deal of the Doll Department, only it was larger and noisier. In fact, music over the intercom was impossible with chatter and activity at this volume.

The din caused Leona and Melena to have to yell to hear one another.

"What do you think?" Leona yelled. Her taller friend was speechless. The sponsor elf was glad to then see the smile of joy that then appeared on Melena's face. This was the first time she'd seen Melena smile in two days.

"That's a good thing to have," Leona complemented, leading the blond elf along, "we need that sort of thing around here."

"Leona," Melena said as they walked along the workshops, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yes?" her smaller friend asked.

"I'm not sure how to ask this, but how come these jobs I've had are so…"

"Diverse?" Leona guessed.

"Yes! I suppose," Melena said awkwardly, "I mean, when I was in the Doll Department, how come you didn't simply give me another job in there? Why Baking? Or this?"

Leona took a deep breath.

"Well—" she began, but Melena continued.

"And I was wondering something else, why am I given jobs that seem to have nothing to do with _Père Noël_ giving out gifts to the children in the world? Surely there is some sort of job I can do that helps out with that." Her sponsor stopped.

"Melena, the world is a different place from what you've been led to believe. There's a lot more people out there, and humans now are different from the people you knew in your village. There are also a lot of elves up here in the Community. Would you believe that there's five hundred thousand elves alone, living here?"

Melena's eyes widened. She'd never heard of a number larger than a few thousand, and she was greatly surprised.

"Five hundred…thousand?" she repeated, stunned.

"Yeah," Leona replied, "plus, there's so many jobs here, that each new elf that comes in must be tested to see which he or she is good at, because there's usually not enough time to put them through all five hundred thousand jobs. So, the Council of Elves gives them a single job for each department, to see if they do well. As you've already seen, if there's a major screw-up on the first day, that means they can't keep that job, and it also shows that any other job in the same department will end up the same way. It's been proven for over a thousand years."

Leona began walking again.

"You have to understand something Melena; all jobs in this place are interconnected. Even the smallest, most insignificant jobs are actually as important as others. That's why Bernard makes a big fuss over every mistake. Let's just hope he plans on bothering with the Firecracker Department today. They're always having problems in there, even with the testing room." Melena was starting to understand what was going on, and she worried about this next job. Would she mess up here was well?

Little did Leona know that Bernard was true to his word, and he'd been trailing after Melena since the cooking disaster. It galled him that one elf/human hybrid could cause so many setbacks. Christmas was only a month and a half away and already there were delays. In all his sixteen hundred and seventy-eight years of working here, Bernard had never seen anyone so clumsy. He couldn't understand it at all. It would prove difficult to find the girl a job of any sort, but then again, was she really good at anything?

Using over seventeen hundred years of practiced stealth, Bernard followed Melena and Leona at a discreet distance, making it so they wouldn't notice him. In the process, he busied himself with other elves, sending out orders, delivering messages, and seeing to various elves' problems. In time, he followed the two girl elves into the Toy Factory and deliberately inspected nearby departments. But he didn't forget what he was really in there for.

Meanwhile, Leona led Melena into a small building that was mostly a canopy, rather than a place made of walls. A group of about five elves, mostly boys, sat on various boxes and benches. Some were standing up, and all were holding strange-looking boxes with long metal sticks poking out. There were knobs and buttons that the kid elves were messing around with, but that was not what got Melena's attention. She was staring at the strange little devices on the floor. They were colorful little things with black wheels the size of her fists. They made funny noises when they moved, and they seemed to move under their own power.

"What on earth are these?" Melena asked in fascination. She kneeled down to touch one.

"Melena, I'd like to introduce you to Bartamus." Leona announced. A boy elf with spiky hair and a small ponytail behind his head greeted her. He didn't look more than twelve, but Melena had a feeling he was far older than that.

"Hi," Bartamus answered, shaking the girl's hand.

"Bart, do you mind if Melena joins you guys in race car testing?" Leona asked.

"Why not?" Bart replied, "We need more competition."

"Race car testing?" Melena repeated.

"Yes, race cars," Leona said, picking up a purple one.

"Hey!" one of the girl elves said in protest.

"Sorry," the redhead apologized before continuing, "Melena, this is a race car. It's a toy human kids like to play with."

She placed it in Melena's arms. The toy was no bigger than a small dog, but it felt somewhat heavy. The blond elf had never seen a plaything like it, and she listened intently as Leona explained the use of the boxes, for they were remote controls. This was the first time Melena began to understand what the term "electronics" was starting to mean, but the whole modern technology thing was still a mystery to her.

Melena put the car back on the floor, and jumped when it sped off. Another one sped between her feet and right under her skirts. Bart laughed.

"All right, that's enough," Leona laughed.

"They're just playing with you," she assured Melena. The other elf smiled after a moment. She could tell she was going to like this job.

"We test race cars to make sure they're safe for human kids to play with," Bart explained. He put his remote down and grabbed another, making a red race car come zooming up to Melena's feet.

"You can have the red one today," he said, handing her the controls. The elf then handed Leona her own controls, which were linked to a yellow car.

"Aren't you going somewhere?" Melena asked.

"Nah," Leona said, "after what happened the last two times, I think I'll stick around." Melena was touched.

"Thank you," she said.

"Always here to help," her smaller friend replied.

"Okay, if we're done with the mushy stuff," Bartamus said quickly, "it's time to race!"

"Wait!" Melena cried, "I don't know how to do this!"

"Oh," Bart said, sounding disappointed.

"Bart," Leona said, saving the situation, "perhaps you should show her how to operate the car."

"Fine," the boy said, and got off his seat. The other elves in the testing area were also disappointed, but they patiently waited and conversed amongst themselves as Bart explained and demonstrated to Melena how to use the controls. He let her test the knobs and buttons, and she was slightly jolted at first, amazed at how much power went into the little red car.

"What magic is this?" Melena asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Every move you make on that thing sends a signal through the air from that antenna to the antenna on the car," Bart explained, "which makes it move the way you want it." Melena continued to toy with the controls until she felt she got the hang of the little machine.

"You ready?" Bart asked. Melena smiled and nodded. Leona quickly motioned her over to a seat on the bench.

"Time to race!" Bart and the other elves in the group yelled excitedly. Within two presses of the start button, the cars were off. They had been placed on a special track that was like a miniature go-cart track. It was only large enough to hold three of the little race cars, so four of the elves had to simply sit and watch. The track took up much of the area under the canopy, save for the small practice space by the seating area. The only cars racing were Bartamus's, Leona's, and Melena's. Bart's car was silver with blue flames painted on it, and the colors complemented Leona's yellow and Melena's red.

"I might warn you," Bart said as they raced, "I'm an expert at this."

"Brag all you want Bart," Leona told him, "but that doesn't mean your car is any better than anyone else's. Besides, Melena's going to beat you." And they were off!

Melena was too busy concentrating to listen to her friends' friendly banter. She'd watched horse races out in the great fields north of Prades, but she'd never seen anything that moved as smoothly as these cars. She heard Leona and Bart talking, but she didn't hear exactly what they said, and she couldn't imagine anyone being able to talk while concentrating. Under an impulse unknown even to her, Melena pushed the car, catching up to Bart's. It was a competitive spirit that caught on to anyone whose nerves were excited by the thrill of racing. And Melena was feeling that spirit within her. Her car was soon neck to neck with Bart's, and she yelled in triumph as they raced towards the finish line.

However, when they came to a rise in the track, Melena didn't make the turn fast enough. The little red car went flying off the railway.

"Oh no!" she cried, jostling the controls. It was lucky to say that her race car was the type that could recover its upright position, a feature that surprised her, and then frightened her at what it did next. The car then sped off, and Melena jammed the knobs, making the car go faster instead of coming back or stopping like she'd wanted. The race had ended and the other elves got up from their seats, concerned about the runaway car.

Not wanting to lose it, Melena chased after it, hiking up her skirts as she went.

"Melena, wait!" Leona yelled after her, as did the other elves. She was soon chasing her charge.

Melena followed the car as best she could, but every move she made on the controls seemed to only make it go farther and faster than she could handle. The blond elf rushed through the giant atrium, pushing past elves, disrupting others' jobs, stomping or trampling over wrapping paper, and basically stirring things up. There seemed no end to where the car would stop. It sped past dozens of elves' feet, projects at work, and kept on going. Melena jiggled the knobs and pressed every button she could see on the remote, but the car simply wouldn't do what she wanted, nor could she remember what each button or knob was for.

At one point, Melena jammed the knobs in opposite directions, causing the little red car to go spinning. It whirled across the floor like a red pinwheel, and then went flying off a ramp that was coincidentally pointed at one of the smaller buildings. Melena gasped in horror as the car went crashing through the window. She had unwittingly sent it flying into the front window of the glass art workshop. The room was absolutely _filled_ with glass sculptures and trinkets, all put together from hours of sweat and toil by other elves.

Bernard happened to be in that room, complementing one of the sculptors on their handiwork. The artist had been working for days on a magnificent sculpture of an angel, which would be given to a church eventually. It was then that Bernard saw the car coming, and as it smashed through the window, he could already see what would happen.

"Get down!" he yelled, and the Head Elf yanked the sculptor away as the car bounced off of the glass masterpiece. The angel wobbled slightly; and then, slowly as the Titanic's death, it fell to the floor and shattered. Like dominoes, the other sculptures fell from the surrounding shelves and smashed to the floor. Bernard shielded the sculptor and himself from the flying glass; and when it was all over, he and the other elf stood up to survey the damage.

Melena stood there, frozen in dismay at what had happened. She was oblivious to the sudden stop in activity around her, or the dozens of elves staring in shock, or the silence, or Leona and Bartamus finally catching up and staring dumbfounded at the damage.

She saw Bernard standing up inside the workshop, and the look on his face turned from bewilderment, to anger. All Melena needed was to look at the sculptor elf, who was now crying, and at the fury in Bernard's face, and she dropped the remote control. It landed on the floor with a thump loud enough to be heard all over the room. Her face turned so red she was sure it would catch fire in a moment, and she ran from the room, not wanting to hear the coming reprimand from the Head Elf. The blond elf wanted nothing more than to be alone.

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**Poor Melena! The best job she's had so far…Lord have mercy. Will she ever find her place in the Elf Community, or is she doomed to dig coal like that other elf/human Leona mentioned? Next chapter is coming soon everybody…**


	9. Candy Cane Calamity

** Today's a special day for posting everyone. Not only do I have two new chapters, but tomorrow also marks the 7****th**** anniversary of my dreaming up this story. Tonight is also special too, for those of you living in the western hemisphere. We're going to have the very first total lunar eclipse to fall on the Winter Solstice in over 300 years! Can you imagine? Talk about lucky ;) The last one was December 21****st****, 1638 A.D.**

**Anyway, in regards to the story, Melena's about to learn some new things about the world outside the Elf Community, but not before being tested at a new job…

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**

After a day of tears and much consolation from Leona, Melena was able to return to the work force. The blond elf was now regretting climbing onto that reindeer's back all over again. But Leona assured her repeatedly that things would get better. Melena's new wardrobe also arrived, which cheered her up a little. Evelyn's designs fit her perfectly, and they were all beautiful. With that, the girl put her chin up and was ready for whatever happened next. It wasn't a very strong confidence, but it got Melena to gain enough courage for tomorrow.

So the next day, Melena found herself back on track and in another one of the Elf Community's large multi-purpose buildings.

_All right Melena,_ the elf said to herself, _this might be your last chance; don't ruin it this time._ Melena tossed her hair back to clear her eyes as she strode down the hall. Hundreds of other elves passed by as she made her way to a place where the Cheer Club was said to be. What kind of cheer it was for, Melena could not be sure.

Suddenly, a great rush of elves burst out of the double-doors ahead on her left. Melena flattened herself against the wall to avoid the wave. Like all the other elves, everyone in this bunch was three feet tall. Melena took advantage of her height and held the large box of candy-canes she'd been carrying above her head. It wasn't very heavy, and the committee that had given it to her gave specific instructions to deliver it safely to the Cheer Club. And here she was, standing as close to the half-closed double-doors as she could.

When the last rush of child-like elves had left, the other door closed, allowing Melena to continue on. She nearly fell over when she discovered one of her long sleeves was caught in the door. Apparently it'd gotten caught when they closed. Melena tried opening the doors, but they wouldn't budge. She couldn't even put her box down for fear of having it trampled by elf traffic. So Melena did the best she could do, holding the box in one hand, and gripping the loose part of her sleeve as she tried pulling it out of the double-doors.

It wasn't easy, wearing a long red velvet dress in this situation. The white fur trim wasn't helping. Leona had insisted she wear it, to show her enthusiasm for Christmas. The only thing Melena would have wanted to show enthusiasm for at that moment was any blessed elf who could open the doors for her. But no such luck.

Melena put her foot up on one of the doors for bracing. She held the candy-cane box close as she pulled. The girl felt something give way, and she pushed herself as hard as she could with her foot.

There was a loud ripping sound, and Melena went flying into the nearest elf, knocking the two of them down and yelping the process. The box of candy-canes went flying and smashed open against a wall decoration. Candy-canes showered down all over the place. Passerby elves gasped and stopped walking. Many quickly backed away from the hazard, and all eyes turned on the fallen pair.

When Melena came to her senses, she found herself on top of the elf she'd knocked over.

"I'm so sorry sir—" She began, until she realized who she'd knocked down. Melena recognized the red and gold tunic all too well. It was Bernard! She rolled off of him quickly. He sat up with equal quickness and glared at her. Had Melena's blood not run cold in fear, she would have laughed at how silly the Head Elf looked. He had candy-cane crumbs all over him and his hair had pieces of broken candy-canes and wrappers stuck in it.

"I'm seriously considering having you buy Elf Insurance," Bernard said angrily as he stood up and furiously wiped the candy-cane mess off of his tunic. His voice rose with his anger. Melena could hear the other elves start laughing. The laughter grew as Bernard restored his appearance and gave her a tongue-lashing. Melena continued to sit on the floor, her dress splayed out and the candy-cane mess all over her as well.

"I—I'm sorry," she stammered, feeling awful at the moment.

"You should be," Bernard snapped, "thanks to you I've been delayed in _half_ the morning's schedule! What were you thinking?" Obviously he was still steamed about the other calamities she'd caused. Before Melena could say a word, Bernard continued.

"And look at the mess you've made! The Cheer Club will not be happy with you for this." The laughter grew louder. Melena felt her face grow horribly red, red enough to rival the color of her gown and its now torn sleeve. She hadn't felt this embarrassed since the time she hurt Bernard with the doll boxes.

"I should have known better than to let Administration take a _half-elf_ like you in," he ranted, "you're nothing but trouble! Everything you _do_ is a disaster! If you can't shape up here, you may as well go home!"

Melena had had enough. She couldn't take it anymore. She staggered to her feet and ran off crying. Bernard calmed down for once, but it didn't last long. He paused, staring after the bawling elf as she disappeared down the hallway. When the Head Elf realized that the other elves in the hall were laughing still, he turned and had them hushed up quicker than a bunch of clams. The others quickly went back to work, but not without a sense of guilt at the scene that had just taken place.

Bernard continued on his trek down the hall. Leona emerged from the crowd behind him. She had seen the whole thing, cursing herself for letting Melena go off on her own again.

"Hey Bernard," Leona said challengingly, joining his stride with little fear, "was it just me, or did I see some sympathy in your eyes just now? Or was it guilt?"

"Be quiet, Leona," Bernard snapped, "I'm in no mood for your lip."

"You didn't have to do what you just did now. Just because she broke a few candy-canes doesn't mean you have to bring the house down on her." Bernard whirled on the redhead.

"I _did_ have to tell her that!" He corrected Leona, "Do you realize that just the _smallest_ mistake at this time can have a serious affect on Christmas?" He held his thumb and forefinger up in a pinching fashion as he spoke.

"In this business, you can't allow for mistakes!"

Bernard turned and continued down the hall. Leona wasn't about to stand for the Head Elf's rigid logic. She took off after him.

"Everyone makes mistakes Bernard. Even you do at times."

"Don't get me started on mistakes Leona." the Head Elf warned.

"I'm just saying," Leona insisted, "she's only half-human. Give her a break." By now, the two of them had entered the main plaza of the Elf Community. Other elves were everywhere, riding on deer, dragging sleds filled with wares, carrying presents to different areas of the Community, and some were simply playing in the snow. It saddened Leona at how dark Bernard's attitude was when the sun was shining through the crystal roof and over the brightly colored buildings of their home.

Bernard shouted out orders to several mischievous elves before turning back to Leona.

"You may have the power of convincing Leona," he said to her, "but it's not going to work on me." Leona could only cross her arms and put on a playful smile.

_Just try me,_ she thought challengingly.

**~/~/~/~/~**

Leona came back to the dorm to find Melena packing her things into a sack.

"What're you doing?" Leona asked, standing at the foot of the bed. She saw that the taller elf was still crying. Melena sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm going away. I can't take this anymore," she sobbed, "I can't do anything right."

"That's not true," Leona said, "just because you had a few disasters does not mean that you are a bad worker." Melena threw on her cape. Leona grew worried at how thin it was.

"Are you going somewhere?" the redhead asked.

"Yes, away from here. This is not Santa's workshop. Not when Bernard is around. It's a nightmare!" Melena laced her boots up, flustered at the long red skirt that got in the way.

"Now you listen to me," Leona said firmly, "you shouldn't let Bernard get to you. He's only doing his job."

"Doing his job?" Melena repeated hysterically, "He called me a _half-elf!_ That's not a Head Man's job. It's prejudice!" A new wave of tears poured out. Leona paused, for she knew what Melena meant.

"Now that was uncalled for. He shouldn't have called you that. I've spoken to him about that, and I'll speak to him some more about it later. But for the present, you shouldn't run away Melena."

"Why not? I have no business being here." The other elf said through her tears. She packed the last of her things furiously and made sure she had everything. Leona sat down on Melena's bed.

"Of course you have business here," the redhead disagreed, "you're an elf. You're here to work for Santa."

"And what's the point behind that?" Melena cried, "I haven't even _met_ him. I don't even know why I'm here anymore! I'm better off in Prades, where I _knew _what I was doing."

It was then that Melena noticed her wrist was bare.

"My bracelet! Where's my bracelet? Have you seen it?" She frantically searched under the bed and nightstand.

"What bracelet?" Leona asked, watching Melena from the bed.

"My silver bracelet," the blond said urgently as she searched under the bed sheets, "It's the only thing I have to remind me of my mother, and it's gone! I never take it off. It has an aquamarine jewel on it. Can you help me?"

Leona remained on the bed. She fingered her own pendant, looking as forlorn as she'd begun to feel.

"Where will you go?" She asked quietly.

"What?" Melena was completely caught off-guard.

"Where will you go," Leona repeated her question, "after you leave here?" Melena hardly had to think.

"I'll go back home, of course." She kneeled under the nearby bed.

"Do you realize that your home is at least three thousand miles away?" Leona said, her voice grave. Melena froze, the number hitting her like a cruel snowball.

"Three thousand miles?" the girl repeated, dumbstruck. Leona nodded gravely.

"There are other obstacles you'd have problems with. I mean, there's the Snowy Wastes. Very few survive traveling through it without the proper resources. Then there's the people who live on the southern shores, the world outside your village, storms, crossing oceans, and snow beasts—"

"_Snow beasts?_" Melena repeated.

Leona stopped talking and looked at her blond companion with an expression that would make anyone feel guilty. She suddenly threw her arms around Melena's waist.

"Please don't go, Melena," Leona pleaded like a little kid, "I like having you here. We need new faces up here. It's not much fun seeing the same faces year after year. You're different. You're unique.

"You say you have no business here. Do you know why we work all year up in the North Pole? We do it because we care about people who live in a cold, uncaring world. It's not just about making toys for children. It's about bringing cheer back into someone's world after a long winter of depression and disappointments. It's about bringing the family together when they've been apart for too long. It's about creating unity amongst brethren for the one time of the year that really matters. Don't you see that?"

Melena was touched by Leona's words. She sat down on the bed with the redheaded elf, listening. All that she heard caused guilt to wash over her.

"I'm sorry Leona. I didn't realize I was needed so much."

Leona wiped her eyes.

"It's normal for an elf to have bad luck. There's no way around it. The only way to stop the bad luck is to find a job that you truly are good at. Then, the bad luck will end. Are you willing to try again? Just once more?" Melena couldn't resist those sweet green eyes. After a moment, she finally gave in.

"All right. I'll try again." She said. Leona's face broke into a wide smile. She hugged Melena tightly.

"Oh thank you! Thank you Melena!" The blond felt silly, and uncertain at what would happen next.

"Here Melena," Leona said, handing her something.

"My bracelet!" Melena exclaimed, taking the silver chain from her friend's hand.

"Where was it?"

"I found it on the floor when I came in. I thought you might want it." Leona answered.

* * *

**Anybody feel like socking Bernard in the nose? He really has no reason to be mean to Melena, but maybe we'll learn why he's been such an ogre in later chapters. And thank heaven Melena has Leona! What would she do without that sweet little elf?**


	10. Opportunity

** Hi everyone. Here's another chapter, and now we'll see if Melena will stick around for one last try at a job in the North Pole…

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**

The next morning, Melena found herself atop a ladder, decorating a tall Christmas tree. She was in a lounge where some of the elves gathered on their days off. Dozens of elves were there now, sitting on couches and winged chairs, gossiping and talking away as they sipped hot cocoa. Tall windows let in natural light to the room, giving everyone a full view of the "half-elf," as Melena was now known. Her red dress had been mended by Evelyn, (probably with magic), and she now wore it as she worked.

Each elf of the Tree Committee had been given a tree to work on in the lobby, so Melena was working alone. Word of her clumsiness had gone around the Elf Community like wildfire, but Leona had forbidden anyone from talking about the subject in front of Melena. The blond elf could still see stray looks from the child-like elves below.

Nevertheless, Melena had been allowed to join the Tree Committee, and she could just imagine hanging up shiny garlands and glass ball ornaments all day. Most of the jobs she'd been offered were very simple, and yet they were somehow supposed to contribute to the effort of bringing in the Christmas season.

Melena's tree was near the back of the lobby, next to a side door, so most of the curious eyes in the room were on the other Committee members. Melena was very careful about the way she stepped up and down the ladder as she added more and more decorations from the box she'd been given. The girl was also careful at how she held the decorations, making sure she didn't drop anything.

At one point, she soon became of ease as she moved higher and higher up on the tree. This was not a special tree, so it didn't require a star or angel like a family Christmas tree would. However, as Melena reached towards the far side of the tree to hang a red Christmas ball, the bauble dropped from her hand. Everything inside of her closed up; her throat, her movement, her eyes, and her heart. Now she'd done it. She would be sent away from this job as well, forced to wallow in embarrassment from clumsiness again.

Melena began to breathe again when she realized she hadn't heard a shattering noise. She felt a breeze blow gently at the hem of her skirt, and she opened an eye to see what had happened. She didn't see the shattered remains of a perfectly good tree decoration. Instead, she saw a young brown deer standing below her, with the polished red metal ball hanging delicately from his mouth. The door next to him stood wide open, letting outside air in. Melena was astonished at this sight.

_He must have caught it in mid-air,_ she thought, climbing down the ladder. The deer stood there, his head sticking straight out from his furry body and his big brown eyes looking at Melena curiously. She took the Christmas ball from his mouth.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly.

"No problem," the reindeer replied, bobbing his head. He had a small, but lovely array of antlers on his head.

"Where did you come from?" Melena asked, stroking him. The reindeer didn't answer at first, for he was enjoying the caress of her hand so much that he was even rubbing his head against it. Melena giggled a little, scratching behind his fuzzy ears as well. He smelled like a horse stable.

"You sure like that, don't you?" she observed.

The reindeer finally backed off and shook his fur.

"My name's Dancer. What's yours?"

"Melena," she replied. They looked at one another for a moment before Dancer begged her to scratch his ears again. Pretty soon, she was stroking his neck and rubbing his chest like a friendly horse. Other elves began to notice that there was a reindeer in the lobby, and they crowded around him and Melena to join in petting the creature. Even the vendors selling hot cocoa had stopped what they were doing to see the reindeer.

"Dancer! Where in the name of St. Lucia did you go? You know you're not supposed to be in here," a frantic voice called from the outside. A short, brown-haired elf boy dressed in an etched leather vest and a green belt came flustering in. He wore a pair of spectacles on his nose, and he was constantly adjusting them. It didn't take him long to find Melena (and every other elf in the room), petting Dancer.

"All right people, move aside, there's nothing to see here," the stranger said, parting the crowd on his way towards the deer.

"Move out," he continued, taking a hold of the bridle and reigns that were fastened to the reindeer's muzzle.

"No way José," Dancer disagreed, pulling his head away from the spectacled elf, "I'm tired of being stuck in the pen. I want some leg room."

"You know I can't play favorites, Dancer," the boy elf said, pulling on the reindeer's reigns in the direction of the exit, "if I took you for a walk, all the rest of the reindeer will want to walk, and then I'll never get anything done. The stable's busy enough as it is."

Melena watched all this, already seeing a solution in her head. She stepped forward.

"Perhaps we could take a walk around the plaza before going back," the blond suggested, "if it's not too much trouble." The reindeer and the other elf exchanged looks before agreeing.

**~/~/~/~/~**

It felt good to be out near the angel statue again. The traffic of elves and reindeer wasn't so heavy this time, and fresh clean air wafted in from the open hole of the crystal dome. Dancer walked happily between Melena and the shorter elf. The newcomer glanced through his spectacles at the taller, blond.

"Are you the one everyone's been talking about?" he asked. Melena turned her crystal blue eyes at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The elf that brings disaster wherever you go." Her companion replied.

Melena's face lowered, for she was ashamed of being known as the Village Oaf, (in place of the Village Idiot).

"I am she," she said quietly. The other elf paused for a moment.

"Interesting," he mused, "you don't seem very clumsy. You're a lot different than I imagined. In fact…" he seemed to be thinking.

They came to a large, low wooden building that had carved wooden supports and awnings decorating it. Twin stone statues of reindeer stood on either side of the walkway to the structure, and both were festooned in holly wreaths. Tall green pine trees dotted the sparkly white landscape. There were fewer buildings here, with open spots of land stretching around the area.

The two elves led Dancer in through the main hall. The wooden floor was covered in yellow hay, which rustled under their feet. When the reindeer was finally replaced to his stall, Melena gave Dancer a final pat on the head and gave him some hay from his trough. The leather-vested elf never took his eyes off of Melena, and as she made a move to leave, he asked,

"Have you had experience in taking care of animals?"

"Yes," Melena replied, smoothing down Dancer's fur, "I took care of the horses in the courier's stable at home." The boy elf adjusted his glasses again.

"Come with me." Melena did so, and they returned to the front entrance of the stables.

"I've never seen Dancer so taken with anyone," the elf said to Melena, "are you interested in working at the stables?"

Melena's eyes widened. This was the first time she'd ever been asked, rather than assigned a job. She loved the idea of working with the reindeer, and Dancer was already growing on her. The blond elf smiled with a joy she hadn't felt since the bonfire in Prades.

"I would love to!" she exclaimed.

"Good," the spectacled elf said, "we could use someone like you right now. I'm Curtis, Head of Santa's Stables for Reindeer. Report here tomorrow morning, seven o' clock sharp."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Melena cried. She couldn't wait to tell Leona.

* * *

**Yay! Melena found her true calling! It also seems one of our reviewers saw this coming, lol ;) I chose Dancer because I used to watch this movie called "Prancer" when I was little, (the one with the little girl in it, not the little boy), and kept wondering why they didn't have Dancer instead as the reindeer. So, I felt he needed some attention. **

**I'll explain the situation with Curtis in later chapters. I know he was supposed to be training to be Head Elf, but as I said, all will be explained in the next few chapters, as well as Bernard's continually bad temper. **

**Merry Christmas everyone, and I'll post again next week after the big day :)**


	11. Explanations

**Hey everybody. Sorry this is so late. I joined a big college back in the Fall and the stress of being a college student again after 2 years made it hard for me to write at all, much less get inspired. Hopefully it'll be easier with the new semester coming up. **

**Wasn't much in the Holiday Spirit this year, but after seeing the reviews, I feel I owe it to you guys to see what happened to Melena after she joined the Reindeer Stables. **

**I also wanted to clear up some questions you all have been asking. **

**A.) Melena and Leona are not related. Melena was an only child, and Leona's just her friend. **

**B.) I described earlier in chapter 5 that Leona had a bronze necklace with a Christmas wreath for a pendant. Melena wears an antique silver bracelet with an aquamarine jewel on it, an heirloom from her mother. The aquamarine, (along with turquoise) is the birthstone for December, because Melena was born in that month. It also matches her eyes :) **

**Now that we got the air cleared on that, now you guys can learn some more that's going on…**

* * *

Leona was delighted at Melena's fortune.

"It's a good sign if someone asks you," she said to the taller elf during bedtime, "I hope you do well."

"I hope so too," Melena said, more to herself than to her red-haired friend. Somehow, for the first time ever, she actually felt good about what was to happen to her in the morning. She pulled the covers up and fell asleep with the vision of Dancer and other reindeer dancing in the realm of dreams.

**~/~/~/~/~**

True to her word, Melena arrived at the stables at seven. Curtis appeared at the front door, looking very flustered.

"'Morning, I am _so _glad you're here!" he said.

"_Bonjour_," Melena replied with a smile, for she misread his greeting. The spectacled elf grabbed her hand and dragged her in.

"I've been running around all morning, catering to these greedy hoofed creatures—"

"Hey! I resent that!" came a yell from several stalls in the great, straw-filled room.

"We could use all the help we can get," the boy elf told Melena, straightening his glasses. He glanced at Melena's long, soft gold dress with the shimmering green surcoat and said,

"You're gonna need proper clothes. That's too nice to wear in here." Melena colored, but her apology was stillborn as Curtis called over a girl elf that had been cleaning velvet off the antlers of a young buck.

"Marney, I need you to help our new recruit, Melena, get a uniform. I think the one I ordered from Evelyn arrived last night, but check. Sometimes the delivery boys get sloppy." There was then a crash overheard in the back of the great stable. Melena glanced over and saw Curtis's round face turn to worry.

"Oh no, not again," he said to himself. The pint-sized elf rushed off towards the back of the stable.

"Hey! Break it up you two!" the girl elves heard him yell, "I don't want Blitzen dead before Christmas! Take it outside!"

"Razor and Blitzen," Marney said, rolling her eyes, "Those two are always locking antlers. We try putting them on opposite sides of the stable, but one of them is always breaking out and provoking the other. Come on, Curtis can handle it."

"Hey! We're not done!" called the reindeer she had been working on. Thin bits of velvet hung from his antlers like haphazard tinsel on a leafless oak.

"Just do what I suggested," Marney called over her shoulder, "rub your antlers on the sides of your stall. Besides, I'll be back in a minute."

Now Melena got a good look at her new fellow worker. She had long, shiny black hair and almond-shaped eyes. She had very delicate features compared to the other elves Melena had seen so far, and yet the girl carried herself like a sturdy, hard worker. She wore a simple, light brown dress with a white panel down the front. A dark brown belt with pouches and tools hung from her waist, and she wore matching boots. As they walked through the stables, Melena noted other elves wore the same uniform, though the boy elves wore tunics and trousers, rather than the long robes of the girls.

After a quick trip to the back room, Melena was soon clothed in a similar robe to Marney, only made for her height. The dark-haired elf also gave her a stretchy bracelet to tie her hair back with.

Curtis came blustering back through the front doors, looking breathless.

"Whew! Glad that's over with," he said.

"How did it turn out?" Marney asked.

"I had to take _both _of them out into the meadow. Now the other deer are betting on who will be the winner this time."

"Reindeer gamble?" Melena asked.

"Not quite," Curtis explained, "the only thing they can bet on is flying time. Not every deer in this place is allowed to fly for more than an hour each day, even though they all can." He then noticed Melena's uniform.

"Good, you're all set. Time to get to work. We got a lot to do and only a few weeks left before Christmas."

"But what should I do?" Melena asked.

"Let the deer tell you," the other elf said before going back to his other duties. Marney went back to helping her buck with his antlers.

Melena turned and went over to the nearest reindeer.

"Dancer?" she asked.

"Yup, that's me," the buck said, bobbing his head.

"Do you need anything?" she inquired.

"Well…" the deer said, trying to think.

"I'll tell you what I need," a nearby doe said, "A good brushing, my fur is filthy!" Melena smiled and went to get the bucket and brushes.

That was the beginning of one of the happiest days Melena had experienced in her life. The reindeer warmed up to her almost instantly, and she even found a few that she had met before. Apparently this was the only deer stable in the Elf Community, so it was a small world. Melena was not alone, for there were at least a dozen other elves working there, but none really interacted with the reindeer as she did. She spoke to each one, learning their names. She was especially pleased to see Firedancer, as well as the doe she ran into on her first day.

She got to walk several reindeer around the large, snow-covered pasture before returning them to their stalls, as well as letting some out to roam with the local herd. Melena had never felt so confident, and not a single mistake to be made.

**~/~/~/~/~**

Leona appeared some time after noon, eager to see how her protégé was doing. Even as she arrived on the scene, Leona could tell something was different about the stable.

"Curtis?" she called. She had to ask several reindeer where the stubby elf was before she finally found him working with an delivery elf wanting to borrow a deer for the day.

"Now remember," Curtis was telling his customer, "no flying. Annabelle is crazy enough on foot, we don't want her getting too excited."

"Easy for you to say," the doe scoffed at him, "I got to miss out on the antler fight." The delivery boy rolled his eyes signed the papers Curtis gave him.

"Where's Melena?" Leona asked as she came up.

"Oh!" Curtis jumped, "Leona! How many times have I told you _not _to sneak up on me like that?" The redheaded elf giggled.

"More times than I can count. Has Melena been doing okay? Any problems? You know how much trouble she's had here, I can't bear the idea that she might screw up with this job. She seems to take to the reindeer very well."

"Oddly enough, I haven't had this easy a day in the stables since Bernard first exiled me here," Curtis replied, looking over his notes. Leona raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" the girl was intrigued.

"Yep. Gotta go. There's still more work to be done, and the Lucky Eight need to do practice flights. See ya."

"_Wait!_" Leona called, "You still didn't tell me where—"

"She's out in the meadow walking Skydancer." Curtis answered over his shoulder.

"Thanks!"

It was a gorgeous day under the glass dome, with magic-made sunlight shining down over the snow-covered hillsides of the Elf Community. Melena had always enjoyed walking in the woods back in Prades, and walking alongside the graceful white Skydancer wasn't much different. Although, it still felt a little odd, having a large woodland creature that could talk as a companion. She then heard someone calling and saw a familiar crop of red hair flashing over the white snow.

"Melena! There you are!" Leona said with relief, "I've been looking all over for you. How's the job going?" At this, Melena swept up the smaller girl elf in a warm hug.

"This has been the best day I've ever had here! I love it! The reindeer have been wonderful to me, and the other stable hands are so nice. And I haven't had _one _disaster! Not one! If only I'd gotten this job sooner!" Leona colored at this.

"The Elf Council isn't known for actually _asking _newbies what they're good at." Confused, Melena put her friend down.

"I beg your pardon, newbies?"

"New elves," Leona explained.

"Ah," the blond elf said.

She then took up Skydancer's harness and started back towards the stables again.

"Come, Leona. Walk with me, I have so much to tell."

"I do too," the child-like elf said, "and I'm _so _glad Bernard's not breathing down your neck." Melena stopped dead in her tracks.

"He's not here is he?" the elf asked, her eyes filled with worry.

"No, thank God no;" Leona shook her head quickly, "he's over in outdoor sports department, yelling at the kayak-makers. Apparently somebody thought it would be fun to booby-trap the boats with expanding foam, and you could just imagine how annoyed it made him." Melena turned away and started walking quickly.

"I try not to," she said, "that elf is most insufferable person I've ever met." Leona caught up with her taller friend and smiled apologetically.

"He wasn't always like that, you know. Being Head Elf is the hardest job in this whole community, and…well…things haven't been the same since Carol died."

"Carol?" Melena asked, curious. Leona kept her eyes on her boots as they walked.

"We don't normally talk about it around here. This Community is supposed to be a place where elves can live happily and without too much strife. I mean, the world outside of here is a harsh enough place. We lose Santa's all the time and get new ones, but it's a whole different story when we lose a Mrs. Clause."

"I don't understand," Melena said, staring at Leona. The redheaded elf sighed.

"I guess, since I'm your sponsor, and you're still new, that it's best if you heard it from me. It might help you to understand how things are run here."

Melena petted Skydancer and listened as Leona told her about how special human men would often find themselves becoming the beloved symbol of Christmas by chance. They would live many years, much longer than normal men because of the magic surrounding them, and all usually ended up married at some point, due to the magical contract one of the very first Santa's had drafted. However, eventually they slipped up and would come to a fatal end during some random Christmas night, and the red suit would pass to a new mortal. Coincidentally, the accident would happen at the home of the would-be successor, unbeknownst to him.

"This happens more often than you think," Leona told her protégé as they stopped to let Skydancer drink out of a trough,

"We've been through at least fifty or sixty different Santa's in the past five-hundred years alone. Bernard would know the exact number we've had altogether, since he's been here since the beginning. And no matter who the mortal man is, no matter what kind of person he was before the transformation, he will eventually take on the identity of Santa as his own. It's inevitable once he puts on the suit, and the magic starts to take over. However, each Santa is unique, regardless of what the magic does to change his appearance or improve his personality."

"Have any of these men refused to be _le Père Noël_?" Melena asked as she put Skydancer back in her stall. Leona shrugged.

"A few, but most adapt very well to becoming the very spirit of Christmas. Even our most recent Santa chose to keep the job when he realized he was doing it for both his son, and all the children in the world."

"His son?" Melena asked, surprised, "I didn't know Father Christmas had any children."

"This one did, before he was Santa. Heck, he was _divorced _before he was Santa."

_Bam!_ The entire stable stopped what they were doing and turned to see Melena staring in shock at Leona. She'd dropped the bucket of feed she was taking to each of the reindeer. The blond elf didn't even seem to notice she had become the center of attention.

"D-d-divorced?" the girl stuttered.

"Melena," Leona said, putting her hands on her hips, "adults are allowed to separate if the marriage isn't working out. It happens all the time among humans, and for some of them, it's for the best. For others, it's a mistake. We have no control over it, and it's just a cultural thing. You're gonna have to learn that the world is a different place from Prades. Besides, it doesn't make a person evil to separate from their spouse."

With that, she got down on her knees and helped Melena clean up the mess of oats off the floor. Some of the reindeer muttered about the hay in their food, but most were more interested in listening to Leona talk.

"Anyway, the point is," the redhead continued, getting back on track, "our current Santa is actually kind of unique among all our most recent rulers."

After grabbing some drinks from a vendor in front of the stables, Leona then told her friend the story of Scott Calvin, from the time he startled the last Santa off his roof, to the point where he found out about the 'Mrs. Clause' in his contract and had to find a wife before he became mortal again. Melena took great delight in hearing of the crazy adventure Scott had in finding Carol and marrying her before time ran out.

"All the elves here loved Carol," Leona said with bliss, "She was beautiful, smart, and despite her last job, she loved children. Guess our looks kinda reminded her of human kids. She even opened a school here to teach some of us elves new things about the world outside. Everyone wanted to go, but only a few were allowed. Most of us had to work for Christmas, but we went on rotations so everyone could eventually attend a class taught by her."

"She sounds wonderful," Melena smiled.

"She was," Leona agreed, "And having her around improved Santa in ways he didn't think were possible. After all, his first marriage failed, and he sometimes worried this one would too. But Carol was a better woman than his last wife, and she knew how to keep the marriage strong."

"So what happened to her?" the blond elf asked. Leona glanced around, noticing that once again, the other elves in the stable were listening in, though most did not appear happy, and some were even shaking their heads, silently begging the redheaded elf not to recount what they all knew. Leona was quiet for a moment.

"Um…Firedancer, you look like you haven't been out of your stall in a while. Time for a walk!"

"But I've already been out—"

"—_and_ you need to go out again," the elf interrupted, "let's go!" She yanked on the white reindeer's harness and managed to drag both Melena and the buck out of the stable in record time. The two reluctantly followed her down to a frozen pond, where some young reindeer were playing and skidding around. The redhead quickly dug a hole in the snow with her boot.

"Here, chew some lichen," Leona ordered Firedancer. The buck made a face at her before digging his own hole with a hoof.

"As I said," the girl elf continued to Melena, "we don't talk much about what happened. It changed everything in the Elf Community."

"Was it really that terrible?" Melena asked, worried that her curiosity had caused trouble.

"Well," Leona said reluctantly, "it kind of started after the Jack Frost Incident. None of us really remembers it, but Santa had to do some time-travel, and a few other crazy things, so only he really knows what happened. Luckily, old Frost-Nose isn't a problem anymore. Nobody's seen him since then, thank heaven. But then, things started changing in the Elf Community.

"After a few years, Carol began to miss the world she left behind when she married Santa, and started going on visits to places all over. She would often go in the off-season, but later on, she started visiting at the start of December, and would come back home right before Christmas Eve."

Now Melena was confused.

"How did she leave? And what did she do out there?" Leona petted a female fawn before answering.

"Santa had his ways of magically helping her get back to the human world, namely her hometown. It's more powerful magic than what any elf can do, I can tell you that much. And she would go around, doing charity work for less-fortunate kids. It was her own way of doing what Santa Clause did on Christmas Eve; giving hope and keeping the holiday spirit alive." Leona smiled to herself at the thought of this.

"Then, a few years ago, Carol was late meeting up with her husband. She was staying with his son Charlie in his old hometown in Michigan, when a blizzard hit. It stranded her at a children's shelter on the edge of town, and lasted for a whole week. Travel was nearly impossible. Santa was so worried he couldn't pay attention to anything going on in the workshop. Carol could barely drive at all in the weather, but she knew she had to get back home before Christmas. Otherwise her husband would be delayed in his duty, and children all over the world would be disappointed. The storm didn't show any sign of letting up on Christmas Eve. Carol decided to risk driving back to Charlie's family's house, which was the agreed checkpoint where Santa could pick her up and take her home. But there was an accident out on the road…she didn't…make it."

Melena couldn't believe what she was hearing. She put a hand to her mouth.

"Oh Leona, I'm so sorry…" she murmured. For the first time ever, she saw a great loss and deep sadness in her shorter friend's eyes. She quickly drew Leona into her arms. Firedancer also rested his chin on the redhead's shoulder, his big brown eyes sympathetic.

"You had to know," Leona's voice was muffled, "no one else would have the guts to tell you." She drew back and wiped a stray tear away.

"It's been a few years, but the Elf Community hasn't been the same since. It's one thing to lose a Santa. We expect him to be replaced all the time. And normally any Mrs. Clause we have goes back to the human world and retires quietly. But this had never happened before. We'd _never _lost a Mrs. Clause during Christmas Eve before then. And everyone dealt with it in their own way.

"We all had to stay strong for the holiday, but things still changed. Some of the elves over twelve-hundred left, even though they had been delaying for a few years. My best friend Judy was one of them. Boy do I miss her. She helped our current Santa get used to the job when he first came here. Now she's out in one of the Elf Havens somewhere in the world, living a semi-normal life.

"Bernard was one of the ones who didn't change for the better. He's always been a grouch, and one reason we all love our current Santa was because his ingenuity and sense of humor helped improve Bernard's disposition a lot. They, of course, still had their run-ins, but that's just life with the Head Elf. Bernard was even planning on going on a sabbatical before Santa found out about the 'Mrs. Clause.' That's why he was training Curtis to take over for him—"

"Wait a moment," Melena interrupted, "you mean the same Curtis who runs the reindeer stables?" Now Leona looked a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, him. But you're jumping ahead—Bernard felt he'd done enough work for the Elf Community, and wanted to retire. He'd actually started his Sabbatical and gone off to live in Canada when the Jack Frost Incident happened. He was furious when he learned how poorly Curtis had handled it, letting Santa's greatest enemy learn one of the most guarded secrets in the North Pole. He came back and not only stripped the elf of his title, but banished him back to the reindeer stables where he started. The Elf Council didn't refuse him, considering they knew such a thing wouldn't have happened if Bernard had been in charge. The two of them haven't spoken to each other since. And Carol's death only made Bernard worse, because they had been close friends.

"But the person who has suffered the most is Santa Clause himself. He used to be so lively, Melena. He was actually better than our last Santa. He had all sorts of ideas for new toys for us to make, namely because his human job involved a toy company. He's one of the most creative Santa's the Elf Community has ever seen. As I said before, he had a great sense of humor, and was an expert at getting even Bernard to laugh. Even his son Charlie was a big help at times. Santa didn't even mind of some of the newer elves played pranks on him, so long as they were all in good cheer. Sometimes he'd even take it as a challenge and play football with us."

"What's football?" Melena laughed, finding the word peculiar.

"It's a fun game involving a funny-shaped pigskin ball and elves chasing each other. The best part is when we all made a dog pile on Santa." At this Leona started giggling. She then looked startled.

"Goodness, I haven't laughed about that in years," she said, looking at Melena in wonder.

"Perhaps I could convince some of the elves to arrange a game, though it will take some convincing. No one's played it since…well, you know."

The blond elf smiled in understanding.

"It's all right, _mon ami_," Melena told her, "thank you very much for telling me. Everything makes much more sense now."

"Glad to have cleared that up for you," Leona said as they headed back to the stables with Firedancer.

A sense of relief spread through the redheaded elf as they crossed the snow-covered meadow. However, despite that explanation, Leona knew there was still much Melena had to learn about the Elf Community. She only hoped her taller friend would learn quickly enough.

* * *

**Okay, don't hate me for writing out Carol. But there's a reason behind everything I write here, and this will come into play. Besides, I didn't really fall in love with her as a character anyway. **

**At least now you know why Bernard is the way he is, and why Curtis isn't training to become Head Elf anymore. I know this fanfic wasn't gonna include "Santa Clause 3" in it, but I guess some people felt it was a part of the movie lore. But I promise, we WILL NOT have Jack Frost back. Besides, there are worse things to deal with in the North Pole compared to him. I would tell why, but it's still a secret for now ;) **

**In case anyone is curious, I had to do research on reindeer when first writing this story, since they're featured so prominently. When reindeer first grow antlers, they're covered in a thin, furry skin called "velvet," which is shed once the antlers are finished growing. **

**Also, a "surcoat" is a special type of robe from the Middle Ages. Some of Melena's costumes have a semi-Medieval look about them. You can Google the word and find images of it on the web, like here: http: /medieval weddingdresses .ideasforweddings. net/wp -content/ uploads / 2009/05/ **

**I have something else to explain. I started writing this fanfic back around Christmas of 2010, so the "big day" I mentioned at the end of the last chapter was December 25th, Christmas Day. Only thing was, I got caught up in the celebrations, and by the time I got back to the fanfic, the holiday was over & it didn't feel right to keep writing a Christmas story, _after _Christmas. Plus, it felt silly writing about it any other time of the year. **

**But, being supportive as you all have been as reviewers, you've finally given me the drive to continue :) I got most of this story planned out; it's just kinda fuzzy in the middle. **

**Thank you all for inspiring me again, and a very late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! **

**P.S. If you're all really eager, I might update once more before January ends. **


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